California Courts of Appeal, Criminal, Government
Court: ‘Hold my beer’
Does the judicial branch ever tell the political branches of government, "Hold my beer"? The recent efforts to reform Californ...
Government, Judges and Judiciary, Letters
We feel the recent story on Jerry Brown’s judicial picks doesn’t paint an accurate picture of all that the governor has done t...
Judges and Judiciary, Government
More on ballot designations and other shenanigans
I am generally pleased to note that the vast majority of the current field of candidates for Los Angeles County Superior Court...
Judges and Judiciary, State Bar & Bar Associations
The California primary election takes place on June 5. The state’s general election follows on Nov. 6. This includes the elect...
State Bar & Bar Associations, Law Practice, Judges and Judiciary
Not my vote
For now, unless I have reason not to do so, all incumbent judges have my vote.
Judges and Judiciary, Government
Judicial ballot reform is here
Now that it is election season, the legal community once again will turn part of its focus upon the upcoming elections for sup...
Criminal, U.S. Supreme Court, Constitutional Law, California Supreme Court, California Courts of Appeal
A penny for your thoughts
“The only constant is change.” Heraclitus may have been talking about life. But he might as well have been talking about the c...
People clamored onto the courthouse steps in the case of the baker who declined to make a cake for a gay couple’s nuptials — o...
Civil Rights, Judges and Judiciary, Government, Criminal
‘Public defender’ isn’t just another job
The Los Angeles public defender has the potential to be the most influential public defender in the nation — and the office mu...
Constitutional Law, U.S. Supreme Court, Administrative/Regulatory
Drone Searches: A New Frontier for the Fourth Amendment
The use of drones spurs reassessment of time-honored privacy concerns.
State Bar & Bar Associations, Judges and Judiciary
The Golden State should reform unnecessary, out-of-date and overly protectionist bar admission policies in federal district co...
Intellectual Property
The ruling is the first to hold an internet service provider liable for copyright infringement by its customers, making it a c...
Letters, Judges and Judiciary
What’s missing from the Nassar discussion
Judges are required to be fair, neutral and impartial and to be perceived as such at all times.
Law Practice, Judges and Judiciary
Big Sisters are listening
Suffice it to say, when addressing Siri, I did not use the four-letter word, the first letter of which appears toward the last...
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court, Constitutional Law, Civil Rights
Sex work ruling isn’t the end of the line
The Constitution protects an adult’s personal decision to engage in intimate, sexual activity with another adult, whether the ...
Securities, Constitutional Law, U.S. Supreme Court, Administrative/Regulatory
SEC ALJs and the accumulation of power
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the Securities and Exchange Commission's use of administrative law judges violates ...
Administrative/Regulatory, Year in Review Column, U.S. Supreme Court, Environmental & Energy, California Supreme Court
Cases provide insight into shifting environmental policy
With the appointments of Scott Pruitt (administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency), Ryan Zinke (secretary of the Int...
Labor/Employment, Corporate, Administrative/Regulatory, Government
The New Parent Leave Act expands access to 12 weeks of job-protected baby bonding leave to qualifying workers who work for emp...
Judges and Judiciary, Civil Litigation, Year in Review Column
New law is driving down motions
The Legislature enacted of Code of Civil Procedure Section 430.41 in 2016, and earlier this month a new set of changes took ef...
U.S. Supreme Court, Constitutional Law, Civil Rights
Why leave Mississippi's discrimination law in place?
When a new pope is selected by the assemblage of cardinals at the Vatican, the papal conclave releases white smoke into the sk...
Labor/Employment
Are Student Interns Employees?
Ninth Circuit and the Department of Labor clarify when an intern is entitled to minimum wages and other employment benefits. ...
Jack Walker's powerful, insightful and moving "Eye Corps: Coming of Age at the DMZ," details his experiences as a recon patr...
Civil Rights, U.S. Supreme Court, Constitutional Law
When the high court handcuffed student journalists
High school journalism has been losing ground since the 1970s due to education budget cuts -- and rulings of the U.S. Supreme ...
Law Practice, State Bar & Bar Associations, Year in Review Column, Civil Litigation
In the Matter of Ethics
The State Bar Court Review Department issued a range of attorney discipline opinions this year. As usual, the most common comp...
The Federal Communications Commission defied the facts, flouted the law, and ignored the will of millions of Americans when it...
California Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme Court, Criminal, Constitutional Law
Justices should uphold DNA collection law
People v. Buza provides an opportunity to ensure that fewer people in the state are convicted of crimes they did not commit an...
Administrative/Regulatory, Government, Corporate, Tax
Attorneys: Get up to speed on Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Here, we have tried to provide an early and high-level overview of federal income tax issues with which California attorneys s...
Two weeks ago, body camera footage of the police killing of Daniel Shaver flooded news outlets across the country, along with ...
Appellate Practice, Contracts, California Courts of Appeal
Beware boilerplate settlement agreement language
A cautionary tale on the perils of "plugging in" those standard settlement terms when more careful drafting is warranted.
Constitutional Law, California Supreme Court, Administrative/Regulatory, Government
Justices should uphold state Reproductive FACT Act
Imagine that you're one of the more than 350,000 women in California who becomes unexpectedly pregnant every year. Maybe you f...