On August 26, 2020, the Supreme Court of California issued an order[1] making a part of the California First District Court of Appeal’s 2018 case, In re Humphrey,[2] binding on trial courts pending final resolution of the case.  In Part III of that opinion, the First District emphasized that bail determinations must be based upon…

On August 24, 2020, the Court of Appeal of the State of California for the Fourth Appellate District affirmed[1] the decision of the Orange County Superior Court which denied Ruben Lona’s petition to be removed from the Shared Gang Database.  The Court of Appeal determined that Ruben Lona’s own admissions made in the declaration he provided…

On August 27, 2020, in the case of Gund v. County of Trinity,[1] the California Supreme Court found that plaintiffs, who were injured by an attacker in the course of responding to a peace officer request to provide assistance to their neighbor who had called 911 requesting help, were limited to workers’ compensation benefits for…

In the August 2020 case of Facebook, Inc. v. Superior Court (Stephan),[1] the California Supreme Court directed trial courts to explicitly consider and balance seven factors in ruling on a motion to quash a subpoena duces tecum directed to a third party. Background In May 2018 in Facebook v. Superior Court (Hunter),[2] the California Supreme…

On August 14, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Duncan v. Becerra,[1] held that a California statute that banned possession of large-capacity magazines (“LCMs”) holding more than ten rounds of ammunition, violated the Second Amendment.  In reaching its conclusion, the Court held that California Penal Code section 32310 burdened protected conduct and, applying…

In the July 2020 case of Monzon v. City of Murrieta,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that officers acted in an objectively reasonable manner in their use of deadly force on a driver of a van who posed an immediate threat to officers.  In reaching its conclusion, the Court noted that the driver…

Background The California Supreme Court recently reviewed the validity of the “California Rule” in the context of the case entitled Alameda County Deputy Sheriff’s Ass’n v. Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Ass’n.[1] The Court began its analysis with a discussion of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 (“PEPRA”; Stats. 2012, ch. 296, section…

In the July 2020 case of City & Cnty. of S.F. v. Barr,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a permanent injunction barring the United States Department of Justice from imposing certain conditions for providing funding for state and local criminal justice programs through Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants.  However, the Court determined…