Supreme Court of California Decisions
The California Supreme Court consists of seven justices, including a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The Court has the authority to review decisions in the California Courts of Appeal, decisions by the Public Utilities Commission, and any cases that result in a death sentence. In general, the California Supreme Court will review cases that involve issues that have statewide significance. It may review a matter in part or in its entirety.
The Court also oversees matters related to misconduct within the legal profession. It reviews recommendations by the Commission on Judicial Performance and the California State Bar on disciplining a judge or attorney. It has issued a California Code of Judicial Conduct, which consists of six canons, to guide judges in the state.
To serve as a justice, a candidate must have been admitted to practice law in California for the last 10 years, or must have served as a judge in a California state court for the same time. The Governor of California appoints justices to the Court, but the Commission on Judicial Appointments must confirm each appointment. Also, a newly appointed justice must face a retention referendum when the state next votes to elect a governor. The term of each justice lasts for 12 years, after which a retention election will determine whether they serve another term. The process is the same for the Chief Justice as for the Associate Justices.
A justice on the California Supreme Court may be removed if the state assembly votes to impeach them, and then two-thirds of the state senate votes to convict them. Removal also may follow an investigation of misconduct by the justice that results in a recommendation of removal by the California Commission on Judicial Performance. Alternatively, the Commission may suspend or censure a justice.
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Recent Decisions From the Supreme Court of California
Date: August 31, 2023
Docket Number: S273391
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that persons facing involuntary commitment under the Sexually Violent Predator Act (SVP Act), Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code 6600 et seq., have a due process right to a timely trial but that whether…
Date: August 24, 2023
Docket Number: S263972
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeal reversing the trial court's judgment concluding that the at-large method of electing city council members in the City of Santa Monica diluted Latino voters'…
Date: August 24, 2023
Docket Number: S267138
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeal that a Department of Insurance regulation prohibiting bail bond agents from entering into agreements with jail inmates to be notified when individuals have…
Date: August 21, 2023
Docket Number: S273630
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that an employer's business entity agents can be held directly liable under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Cal. Gov. Code 12900 et seq., for employment discrimination in…
Date: August 17, 2023
Docket Number: S271049
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the court of appeal affirming Defendant's convictions for, among other crimes, first degree murder and two counts of attempted, premeditated murder…
Date: August 17, 2023
Docket Number: S272237
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeal affirming Defendant's conviction of first-degree murder, holding that when the record contains substantial evidence of imperfect self defense, the trial…
Date: August 14, 2023
Docket Number: S269237
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeal concluding that because certain statements fell within an exception to the hearsay requirement they automatically qualified for admission into evidence,…
Date: August 3, 2023
Docket Number: S271054
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeal finding that Cal. Corp. Code 5142, 5233, and 5223 impose a continuous directorship requirement that would require dismissal of a lawsuit brought under the…
Date: August 3, 2023
Docket Number: S271869
Justia Opinion Summary: In this challenge to "Measure Z," a Monterey County ordinance, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeal affirming the judgment of the trial court in favor of Plaintiffs on preemption grounds,…
Date: July 31, 2023
Docket Number: S263180
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that, in disciplinary proceedings, private universities are not required to provide accused students the opportunity to directly or indirectly cross-examine the accuser and other witnesses at a…
Date: July 27, 2023
Docket Number: S272166
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeal finding evidence of Plaintiff's subsequent molestation was admissible into evidence in a trial claiming emotional distress damages from the conduct of a…
Date: July 24, 2023
Docket Number: S267746
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that under California's Motor Carriers of Property Permit Act, Cal. Veh. Code 34600 et seq., a commercial automobile insurance policy does not continue in full force and effect until the insurer…
Date: July 24, 2023
Docket Number: S270326
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeal affirming the conclusion of the State Department of Health Care Services that the costs of outreach and education activities aimed at Medicaid-eligible…
Date: July 20, 2023
Docket Number: S260063
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeal concluding that the actions of Defendants Lonnie Mitchell and Louis Mitchell were sufficient to demonstrate that each proximately caused the victim's death,…
