A major step forward for the region’s judicial infrastructure was marked recently as officials gathered to break ground on a new, permanent home for the California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District. The ceremony, attended by Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein, Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, and other judicial leaders, signals the start of construction on a transformative facility that will replace the court’s long-term leased space in downtown San Jose.

A recent California Supreme Court decision reinforced that judges must consider a defendant's ability to pay and weigh nonfinancial release options before imposing money bail. The ruling builds on earlier reforms aimed at reducing pretrial detention based solely on a person's financial circumstances.

(Subscription required) Over two days of friendly hearings, the Commission on Judicial Appointments approved of eight of Gov. Gavin Newsom's candidates for California's courts of appeal.

(Subscription required) After more than three decades as a civil litigator, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald F. Frank sought out one of the court system's busiest assignments -- unlawful detainers -- where a compressed calendar, self-represented litigants and competing hardships demand quick preparation and careful judgment.