NewsLinks is a collection of recent news items relating primarily to the California judicial branch. NewsLinks does not verify nor endorse the accuracy or fairness of the news items, and the views expressed in opinions, editorials, and commentaries are those of the writers only.

Jun 19	In court, lawyers argue damages cap on medical malpractice cases is unconstitutional Daily Journal (Subscription required) A major push to end the $250,000 cap on pain and suffering damages in medical malpractice cases appeared to get little traction before a state appellate panel Tuesday.
Jun 19	Judicial Profile: Abraham A. Khan Daily Journal (Subscription required) In January 2009, after spending much of his career in Pomona and West Covina handling criminal cases, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Abraham A. Khan moved to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles to take on a civil docket. Related: Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Jun 18	California judiciary scrambles for dollars Capitol Weekly Last week, the California judiciary went on a rollercoaster ride. The final budget – it’s been approved by the Legislature and awaits Gov. Brown’s signature -- included some relief for a court system that has taken continuous cuts over the last five years.
Jun 18	Audio: Budget Cuts Threaten Far-Flung Courthouses The California Report California courts have been hit hard by state budget cuts over the past five years.
Jun 18	State Bar panel endorses licensing nonlawyers to perform limited legal work Daily Journal (Subscription required) A special State Bar panel on Monday formally endorsed the idea of licensing nonlawyers to perform some legal work for clients, and it recommended the bar's Board of Trustees move forward to develop a limited-license program. Related: Sacramento Business Journal
Jun 18	PolitiCal: California's prison crowding is growing, state report says Los Angeles Times In the state's monthly progress report to federal judges, California acknowledges prison crowding has again begun to creep upward while Gov. Jerry Brown promises to seek legislative solutions "shortly."
Jun 17	California courts continue cuts, closures Legal Newsline When Richard Burdge describes the court funding crisis in California, he says even the state’s legislators realize they’ve pushed too far in the past few years. Related: InFocus: Budget Crisis in the Judicial Branch
Jun 17	Retail on the rise in Porterville Recorderonline.com Some say it is just time, others said it’s just Porterville’s time and that the new courthouse under construction is helping the economy to rebound. Related: New Porterville Courthouse
Jun 17	Los Angeles County Superior Court sees layoffs take effect Daily Journal (Subscription required) Court reporters, courtroom assistants and accountants were among the employees of Los Angeles Superior Court who were laid off, took pay cuts, had their job eliminated or moved to a new location on Friday. Related: Superior Court of Los Angeles County, InFocus: Budget Crisis in the Judicial Branch
Jun 17	Judicial Profile: Rogelio R. Flores Daily Journal (Subscription required) Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rogelio R. Flores is not only on the cusp of turning 60, he's eight years removed from a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery, though you'd never guess it. Related: Superior Court of Santa Barbara County
Jun 16	Letters to the Editor: California courts are in crisis Los Angeles Times Shame on the governor, the Legislature and, frankly, The Times' editorial board. The dismantling of the California legal system, our third branch of government, continues with the new proposed state budget.
Jun 15	CA budget plan drops court records fee Sacramento Bee Open government advocates are celebrating part of California's budget, but they are lamenting another. Related: San Jose Mercury News, Associated Press, U-T San Diego, Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, Bloomberg Business Week
Jun 15	State Supreme Court won't hear Sonoma County's appeal of wages ruling Press Democrat In a closely watched case across California, the state Supreme Court has left in place a ruling that allows a home health care worker to sue Sonoma County for wages that her disabled client did not pay her. Related: California Supreme Court
Jun 15	Planned SD court will have video arraignments U-T San Diego The county Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved an agreement with the Superior Court to allow the use of video teleconferencing for some criminal proceedings at a new $586 million courthouse planned for downtown San Diego. Related: New San Diego Courthouse
Jun 14	Budget Puts $63M Back Into California Courts Courthouse News Service Both houses of the California Legislature passed a $96 billion budget package Friday that restores $63 million to the judiciary.
Jun 14	PolitiCal: California lawmakers plan more budget votes for Saturday Los Angeles Times California lawmakers ended their work on the budget Friday afternoon, planning to reconvene again in the Capitol on Saturday morning to finish a series of related bills.
Jun 14	Whittier officials ask L.A. Superior Court to re-open courthouse with new funds Whittier Daily News Whittier officials say money may be available in the state budget to re-open the Whittier Courthouse and the mayor has sent a letter to the presiding judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court asking him to begin the process.
Jun 14	S.C. Upholds Death Sentence in Murder of Valley Teenager Met News The California Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the death sentence for a man convicted of orchestrating the murder of his former girlfriend in an alley in the San Fernando Valley in 1996. Related: California Supreme Court
Jun 14	Supreme Court to Rule on Propriety of JNOV in Asbestos Case Met News The California Supreme Court will decide whether a trial judge’s failure to follow the statutory procedure for granting JNOV sua sponte requires that the underlying verdict and judgment be reinstated.
Jun 14	Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside counties will get biggest bite of court's $60 million Daily Journal (Subscription required) Los Angeles County Superior Court is set to receive $20 million in extra funding over the next fiscal year, according to a plan by the state judicial branch released Thursday.
Jun 14	Budget Deal ‘Too Little, Too Late’ to Avoid Layoffs, Wesley Says Met News The Los Angeles Superior Court will deliver layoff notices to 177 employees today, despite a budget deal announced in Sacramento this week that will add close to $20 million to the court’s coffers, court officials said yesterday. Related: Daily Journal, KPCC, Courthouse News Service, InFocus: Judicial Branch Budget Crisis
Jun 14	Judicial Profile: Jamie O. Thistlethwaite Daily Journal (Subscription required) Energetic and direct, Jamie O. Thistlethwaite helps criminal cases settle in Sonoma County. Related: Superior Court of Sonoma County
Jun 13	State Bar Poised to Require Practical Skills Training National Law Journal A task force of the State Bar of California has recommended that new attorneys be required to complete at least 15 hours of practical skills training and 50 hours of pro bono service before they are admitted to practice.
Jun 13	Proposed budget would weaken California's public records laws Los Angeles Times Public records laws would be weakened under the budget deal scheduled for a vote in the Legislature on Friday.
Jun 13	Opinion: When $63 million is not enough: justice denied for Californians Daily Journal (Subscription required) Most attorneys are deeply concerned about the substantial reductions in trial court services brought about by budget cuts. These cuts have restricted access to justice for Californians, and greatly harmed an independent branch of government.
Jun 13	Judicial Profile: Stephen J. Kane Daily Journal (Subscription required) Appellate Justice Stephen J. Kane is known as a 'deep thinker' who has a practical streak. Related: Justice Stephen Kane
Jun 12	L.A. County court cuts to result in longer waits for public Los Angeles Times If you want to sue your landlord, divorce your spouse or fight a traffic ticket this year, you'll probably pay more, travel farther and wait longer. Related: Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Journal, InFocus: Budget Crisis in the Judicial Branch
Jun 12	Alameda parcel tax shot down by high court San Francisco Chronicle The state Supreme Court declined Wednesday to revive a parcel tax for schools in Alameda that set higher rates for larger business properties, a case that could affect school taxes elsewhere in California. Related: Bay Area News Group
Jun 12	Superior Court Executive Officer Gary Blair Retiring After 37 Years Noozhawk Highlights of his career include paving the way for better access to court documents for high-profile cases. Related: Superior Court of Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria Times, News Release
Jun 12	The Court Ruling That Could End Unpaid Internships for Good The Atlantic The unpaid intern, that lowly, coffee-scalded creature of the modern office, might be about to become a thing of the past.
Jun 12	Report: Judicial Campaign Contributions By Business Donors Yields Votes Legal Examiner Blog Do campaign contributions play a role in judicial outcomes?
Jun 12	Budget deal nets courts $63 million in new funding Daily Journal (Subscription required) State lawmakers late Monday cut the amount of extra money they planned to grant California courts down to $63 million as a result of pressure by the governor's office to rein in Democrats' spending proposals. Related: Met News, Sacramento Business Journal, Associated Press
Jun 12	Butte County Judge Robert Glusman Elected CJA President Met News Butte Superior Court Judge Robert A. Glusman was elected president of the California Judges Association yesterday, the group said in a release. Related:  Daily Journal, The Recorder, Chico Enterprise Record
Jun 12	Judge Power reappointed to state committee The Vacaville Reporter Solano Superior Court Judge David Edwin Power has been reappointed by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye as chair and member of the statewide Trial Court Facility Modifications Advisory Committee. Related: Trial Court Facility Modification Advisory Committee
Jun 12	Judicial Profile: Michelle Williams Court Daily Journal (Subscription required) Driven by a passion for civil justice, Michelle Court says the bench is where she means to stay. Related: Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Jun 11	LA County Court to eliminate more than 500 jobs this week Los Angeles Times The Los Angeles County Superior Court plans to eliminate more than 500 jobs by the end of the week in a sweeping cost-cutting plan to close a projected $85-million budget shortfall for the next fiscal year. Related: Superior Court of Los Angeles County Consolidation Plan
Jun 11	SEIU pay-raise deal could spawn hikes for other unions The Sacramento Bee California's largest public employee union and Gov. Jerry Brown reached a new labor agreement early Tuesday, sending a strong signal that pay raises are possible to other unions bargaining contracts with the administration. Related: U-T San Diego
Jun 11	Chief Appoints Three New Council Members Courthouse News Service The makeup of California's Judicial Council will look slightly different this fall with the selection of three new voting members, one of whom has held council membership in the past two years. Related: Sierra Wave, News Release
Jun 11	Brown, Democratic leaders reach deal on budget The Sacramento Bee Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders reached agreement Monday on major elements of the state budget, including a compromise on Brown's controversial proposal to shift more money to poor and English-learning students. Related: Associated Press
Jun 11	California chief justice 'encouraged' by partial courts restoration Los Angeles Times California's chief justice said she was "encouraged" that the budget deal worked out between Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature would end a pattern of funding cuts for courts and restore at least some money lost previously. Related: The Recorder, Chief Justice Releases Statement on Proposed Budget
Jun 11	State Supreme Court Clarifies Rule on Multiple Settlement Offers Met News A party who makes multiple statutory settlement offers, and obtains a verdict at trial that is at least as favorable as any of them, is entitled to expert witness costs from the date of the first offer, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday. Related: Daily Journal
Jun 11	Court Denies Review in Supermarket Picketing Dispute Met News The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday left standing a California Supreme Court decision upholding state laws that largely prohibit courts from enjoining union picketing during a labor dispute. Related: San Francisco Chronicle
Jun 11	Case to Watch: California Supreme Court weighs employment arbitration Reuters A trio of cases before the California Supreme Court will clarify how it will apply a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting class action arbitration to employment contracts.
Jun 11	Judicial Profile: Heidi K. Whilden Daily Journal (Subscription required) Heidi K. Whilden, who lost her parents as a child, works to solidify families as a commissioner. Related: Superior Court of Monterey County
Jun 11	Judicial Profile: Julia Spain The Recorder (Subscription required) "I really do believe that as a court system we are here to do justice and to love mercy". Related: Superior Court of Alameda County
Jun 10	[US] Supreme Court agrees to hear Sierra Nevada forest case Modesto Bee A long-running Sierra Nevada forest planning dispute will now be settled by the Supreme Court in what could shape up as a crucial public lands case.
Jun 10	Supreme Court orders new hearing for California raisin farmers Los Angeles Times The Supreme Court opened the door Monday for California raisin growers to challenge the constitutionality of a Depression-era farming law that requires them to keep part of their annual crop off the market.
Jun 10	California state revenues beat estimates by 12 percent Los Angeles Daily News California took in $7.27 billion in revenues during the month of May, exceeding estimates by 12 percent, Controller John Chiang announced today.
Jun 10	High court rebuffs Armenians' genocide case San Francisco Chronicle The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to revive a California law that would allow heirs of victims of the nearly century-old Armenian genocide to sue in state courts for unpaid insurance benefits.
Jun 10	Buhach Colony High School class awarded for civic education Merced Sun Star The women's studies class at Buhach Colony High School in Atwater has received a key state award for its groundbreaking efforts to empower students to achieve success. Related:  Civic Learning Award Winners
Jun 10	Lead lawyer for state's courts to step down by year's end Daily Journal (Subscription required) Mary M. Roberts, who has suffered some criticism during her seven-year leadership of the Administrative Office of the Courts' provision of legal services to the state's courts and the Judicial Council, plans to step down by the end of 2013. Related: Administrative Office of the Courts
Jun 10	State appellate courts poised for leftward shift Daily Journal (Subscription required) One need look no further than Washington D.C. to see that politics matter when it comes to the judiciary. Republican lawmakers, in an apparent attempt to deny President Barack Obama's three appointments to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, are looking to reduce the number of judges on the influential court.
Jun 10	Judicial Profile: Michael J. Convey Daily Journal (Subscription required) Michael Convey's use of programs such as 'Settle-O-Rama' have eased family law dockets. Related: Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Jun 9	Editorial: Public safety loses, labor wins at new courthouse U-T San Diego At a cost of $620 million, San Diego’s planned Superior Court complex downtown should be the best money can buy. The 22-story high-rise is the most expensive of the 41 courthouse projects included in a $5 billion master plan approved by the Legislature in 2008. Related: U-T San Diego, San Diego Central Courthouse