Immigration
Register your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free
By Sergio A. Perez, Delia L. Franco
The Trump administration's enforcement of the long-dormant Alien Registration Act of 1940 presents immigration attorneys with ...
Constitutional Law
Firing blanks at history: How the 9th Circuit misfires on the 2nd Amendment
By Jason A. Davis
The Ninth Circuit's decision in Duarte upheld a lifetime gun ban for non-violent felons, clashing with Bruen's historic...
Criminal, California Supreme Court
The enablement of mass incarceration by the California Supreme Court and the need for a legislative solution
By J. Anthony Kline
California's ongoing prison overcrowding and the erosion of constitutional safeguards in parole decisions demand legislative a...
California Supreme Court
California Supreme Court finds parties cannot contract away liability for willful injury
By Lee S. Brenner, Matthew Raber
In New England Country Foods, LLC v. VanLaw Food Products, Inc., the California Supreme Court held on April 24, 2025, ...
AI tools risk undermining judicial legitimacy by offering conclusions without transparent reasoning--but troubling evidence sh...
As the Supreme Court weighs the procedural challenge to nationwide injunctions in Trump, et al. v. CASA, Inc., et al.,...
U.S. Supreme Court, Obituaries
The quiet disappointments of Justice David Souter
By Anastasia Boden
Justice David Souter, a quiet and bookish figure once expected to be a conservative stalwart, ultimately became a cautious lib...
Labor/Employment, Judges and Judiciary
You know it's time to retire when ... (a retirement test)
By John J. Kralik
Aging on the bench is a complex and deeply personal journey, and while some judges remain sharp and effective well past tradit...
Letters, Civil Procedure
Orange County has a simple solution to avoid summary judgment delays
By David J. Hesseltine
In Orange County, defendants can reserve earlier summary judgment hearing dates, an established policy aimed at reducing trial...
Entertainment & Sports
Halftime analysis of NIL in 2025: Key legal developments in college athletics
By Frank N. Darras
As NIL rights continue to reshape college athletics, from high-profile transfer disputes like Nico Iamaleava's to antitrust li...
Constitutional Law, Civil Rights, Administrative/Regulatory
Why is the Trump Administration going after the Harvard Law Review?
By Peter Stris
The Trump administration's scrutiny of Harvard Law Review's diversity efforts isn't about fairness but a calculated attempt to...
California's hybrid system of judicial selection reveals striking differences when compared with the varied approaches used ac...
Environmental & Energy
Beef and bioreactors: How California can lead and export a new protein revolution
By Dr. Chang Kyoung (CK) Choi, Roberto Escobar
With sky-high beef prices and biotech prowess, California can pioneer a hybrid meat model--blending ranching and cultivated ...
International Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution
How a creative mediator's proposal could end the Russia-Ukraine conflict
By Gregory C. O'Brien Jr.
A mediator's proposal, when creatively designed to offer mutually beneficial solutions, can resolve even the most intractable...
Probate, Civil Procedure
Goebner clarifies California probate court demurrer deadline
By Matt Owens
Goebner confirms that in probate court, the deadline to file a demurrer is any time at or before the hearing, rather th...
Obituaries, Judges and Judiciary
The bench as sanctuary: How Judge Theodor C. Albert elevated justice with grace and gravitas
By Baruch C. Cohen
When the law found its soul: How Billy Preston's lyrics, a judge's grace, and one motion resurrected justice.
California's well-intentioned AB 218 opened the door for long-overdue justice for survivors of childhood sexual assault, but i...
Constitutional Law, Administrative/Regulatory
The quiet case that could put the courts under executive control
By John H. Minan
An under-the-radar lawsuit by a Trump-aligned legal group seeks to reclassify key judicial administrative bodies as executive ...
Data Privacy
Seven states form consortium for privacy enforcement
By Igor Gorlach, Thomas Ewing
On April 16, seven states formed the Consortium of Privacy Regulators to share expertise, align enforcement strategies, and st...
Civil Procedure, Antitrust & Trade Reg.
Compliance, candor, and contempt: the case of Epic Games v. Apple
By Wendy L. Patrick
A federal judge recently condemned Apple's willful noncompliance with an injunction and referred the matter for criminal conte...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Set for the future: Consider a succession plan for long-term success
By Shari L. Klevens, Alanna G. Clair
Many lawyers delay retirement, but thoughtful succession planning ensures continuity, protects clients, and preserves a firm's...
Technology, Data Privacy, Corporate
Opening the Trojan email: How BEC breaches businesses from within
By Robert E. Braun
Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a fast-moving, trust-based cyberattack that exploits human behavior - not technical flaws -...
A little-noticed Executive Order aims to gut civil rights law by ending "disparate impact" liability--the key tool for proving...
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Mediation reigns, but the litigation beast lives on (Reimagining ADR: Part I)
By Greg Derin
Fifty years after Harvard Law Professor Frank Sander's multi-door vision, meaningful early dispute resolution still faces cult...
Torts/Personal Injury, Civil Procedure
The 'death discount': Ending an unjust legal paradox
By Loren E. Schwartz
California law once allowed negligent parties to escape full accountability when injured victims died before trial--erasing th...
Constitutional Law
The constitution, the courts, and nationwide injunctions
By Margot J. Cleveland
The Supreme Court will hear arguments next week in three consolidated cases challenging President Trump's executive order on b...
Civil Procedure
How summary judgment hearing dates are causing preventable trial continuances
By Gary Partamian, Sheri R. Lalehzarian
A trial date is often a plaintiff's clearest path to justice, but in 2025, those dates are being extended as courts' booked ca...
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Public policy considerations in California's mediation privilege
By Kevin Kayhanian, Brandon Brousseau
Mediation aims to promote candor, but critics argue that the privilege can sometimes prioritize secrecy over justice.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
The mediation privilege: A sword and a shield
By Mark B. Wilson, Manoah S. Marton
California's mediation privilege, governed by Evidence Code sections 1115-1129, is broadly construed and strictly enforced to...
U.S. Supreme Court
Cunningham decision reshapes ERISA litigation landscape
By Orly Ahrony
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision may require policymakers to consider targeted reforms to ensure ERISA continues to serve its...