It’s one of the most diverse, consequential — and unrecognizable — branches of California government. Name one member of the California Supreme Court. Thought so. Yet the names of four justices on California’s highest court are appearing on the November ballot, mixed in with more glossy, high-profile candidates. In the past three decades, the court […]
California Supreme Court
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Court Bans “Abusive” Spiking, but Sticks with Pension Protections
For 65 years, the California Supreme Court has taken a rigid line on pensions for public employees: Any retirement benefits promised to a worker at the outset of a job can only be reduced if they are replaced with something of equal value. That iron-clad precedent has been dubbed “the California Rule.” Today the state’s […]
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Why California’s top court just struck down the state’s Trump tax return law
Many constitutional law experts, former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Republican Party are now all officially entitled to say, “I told you so.” This morning the California Supreme Court unanimously struck down a new state law that would have required presidential candidates to publicly disclose their tax returns before appearing on the primary […]
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Sac Bee Looks at Rural Policing and a Kettenpom Couple’s Terrifying Ordeal
Rural residents know that a 911 call to law enforcement may result in an hours long wait for a response. On Wednesday, the Sacramento Bee posted the culmination of several months of research into the problem. Leading the article is the story of how in March of 2011 a Trinity County couple, Jim and Norma […]
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Supreme Court Pulls ‘Three Californias’ Measure From November Ballot
Well, it looks like voters won’t get to decide whether California should be severed into three separate states — at least not this year. The California Supreme Court ruled today, according to multiple news reports, to remove the measure that the California Secretary of State’s Office had already approved for the November ballot. According to […]
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Lawsuit Challenges 3 California Ballot Measure
A lawsuit filed with the California Supreme Court this week is challenging the placement of a controversial initiative to divide the state into three on the November ballot less than one month after it was signed off on by the Secretary of State’s Office. According to a San Francisco Chronicle article, the Planning and Conservation […]
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Playing Hardball
The harbinger of Eureka City Schools’ controversial proposal to cap transfers in an effort to stem the tide of students leaving for other districts — taking the state funding that comes with them — may have been a lawsuit filed last year against a small charter school. Filed in January of 2016, the case alleges […]
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Seeking Settlement
After squaring off against the county of Humboldt in court to defend a Carlotta man’s right to die on his own terms, Eureka attorney Allison Jackson is turning to the Board of Supervisors to bring closure to the case. Jackson successfully contested maneuvers by Adult Protective Services and the Public Guardian’s Office to override Dick […]
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County’s Attempt to Depublish Scathing Legal Rebuke Denied
The California Supreme Court has rejected without comment Humboldt County Counsel Jeffrey Blanck’s bid to have a scathing appellate opinion about his office’s conduct depublished. The case centers on the county’s legal fight against Carlotta couple Judy and Dick Magney, who successfully challenged attempts by Adult Protective Services and the Public Guardian’s Office to override […]
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‘Profoundly Disturbing’
Dick and Judy Magney knew his life was drawing to a close when he was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in February of 2015. The 73-year-old former truck driver was suffering from a series of incurable long-term ailments. His quality of life was waning. Pain had become a constant companion. The couple had prepared for […]