For more than a century, most scholars and the courts have agreed that though the 14th Amendment was added to the Constitution after the Civil War, it was not, in fact, all about slavery. Instead, courts have held that the amendment extended citizenship not just to the children of former slaves but also to babies born within the borders of the United States.

Div. Eight of this district’s Court of Appeal held yesterday that a trial court judge did not err in including the father of a stalking victim as a protected person in a postconviction restraining order, issued based on a Penal Code section authorizing decrees prohibiting a convict from having “any contact with the victim,” even though the jury found the defendant not guilty of charges accusing him of threatening the named parent.

(Subscription required) California's well-intentioned AB 218 opened the door for long-overdue justice for survivors of childhood sexual assault, but its sweeping elimination of time limits on claims has left public schools and local governments vulnerable to massive liabilities, threatening their financial stability and essential services.

(Subscription required) The bill to raise pay for California's state-employed attorneys -- long paid significantly less than their city and county counterparts -- has cleared one committee but now faces an uncertain fate in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Gov. Gavin Newsom's upcoming budget revision, amid mounting cost concerns and a tougher stance on labor, may threaten its progress.