JURIST - California

California Governor Jerry Brown and various state prison officials on Monday filed a notice of appeal to the US Supreme Court from an April order requiring the governor to reduce California's prison population. In their April order, a panel of federal judges refused to vacate or modify their 2010 or....... [more]

The Supreme Court of California ruled unanimously Monday that local governments may outlaw medical marijuana dispensaries, upholding a ban enacted by the city of Riverside in 2010. The court concluded that California's medical marijuana statutes, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (CUA) and Medical M....... [more]

On May 3, 2007, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill with bipartisan support that designated $7.7 billion to remedy the state's overcrowded prisons. The Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007 attempted to streamline the prison infrastructure system b....... [more]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday considered California's ban on psychotherapy practices intended to convert gay teenagers into straight teenagers. The three-judge panel heard arguments on whether the First Amendment right to free speech extends to the controversial psychoth....... [more]

On April 3, 1957, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) agreed to defend Allen Ginsberg's poetry collection Howl and Other Poems against any obscenity charges brought against it. Publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti planned to publish in the US, but lacked the funds to challenge existing and future o....... [more]

Apple on Tuesday requested that the US District Court for the Northern District of California grant a new trial on damages in its ongoing patent infringement dispute against Samsung Electronics. Judge Lucy Koh earlier this month reduced the jury's damages award by $450 million because she found tha....... [more]

On March 25, 2006, over 500,000 people protested in Los Angeles in reaction to anti-immigration legislation passed by the US House of Representatives. On December 17, 2005, the House passed HR 4437, which would have imposed stricter penalties on undocumented immigrants living and working in the US....... [more]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Horne v. Department of Agriculture on whether a party can raise the Fifth Amendment takings clause as a defense when charged by the government to transfer funds, rather than raising the claim after already complying with the government's mandate....... [more]

On March 18, 2009, US Attorney General Eric Holder stated that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) would no longer prosecute medical marijuana facilities that were in full compliance with their state's marijuana laws. Federal prosecution of facilities in violation of state laws would still continue....... [more]

A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled Thursday that the use of national security letters under 18 USC § 2709 is unconstitutional. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) challenged the use of national security letters by the FBI on behalf of an unnamed....... [more]

A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday reduced the amount of damages that Samsung Electronics must pay Apple for infringing on Apple patents. In August a jury awarded Apple a $1.05 billion judgment against Samsung. Judge Lucy Koh ruled that the court must....... [more]