California Appellate Report

We know that Scott Peterson shouldn't be entitled to the proceeds of the $250,000 life insurance policy held by his wife. Whom he kille...

Clearly correct. Don't bring your kids along when you smuggle drugs across the border. Or you'll get a little extra prison time. A...

It's always neat to see an opinion about a California attorney, especially when it contains a lengthy recitation of the facts. Here'...

I was in DC on Monday, so missed this opinion when it first came out. But it's not one that should be overlooked. There's a great...

It's been a very slow week for the Ninth Circuit. Only four published opinions during that entire period. But, thankfully, the Califor...

Wait a minute. I'm confused. A's girlfriend calls B a "crab". Which -- and I am not at all embarassed to admit that I di...

Imagine that you (or a loved one) were being tried for a criminal offense, and you thought that you (or your loved one) were legally insane ...

Rarely do you see the Court of Appeal describe an impressive performance at trial by a criminal defendant who elected to represent himself. ...

This one wouldn't have received nearly as much attention had it been published prior to the Larry Craig scandal. But if you're des...

Depressing . On multiple levels: "In early August 2006, Adalberto M., a 37-year old homeless man with a history of heroin and methamph...

Fires rage. The University of San Diego closes down. But the Ninth Circuit bravely continues to publish opinions. Tears of respect well up...

You might well -- indeed, probably will -- get away with it if you suffocate your 87-year old mother with a pillow while she's in a nurs...

Imagine you've got a case that's pending before the en banc court in which you've got very little to gain even if you win. Say,...

Justice McDonald is exactly, exactly right . And makes the argument cogently, intellectually, and with precision. Giving a massage on a cons...

This is why you like to see incredibly smart people -- sometimes academics, even -- appointed to the Court of Appeals. It's an erudite,...

Whereas I have briefly been away from my computer, the Ninth Circuit has been busy as a beaver. And cranked out a half-dozen published opin...

Justice Epstein was entirely right to step in here and grant the writ petition . It's an attorney-client privilege issue. The trial cou...

Yikes! Want to read a creepy story about a dangerously threatening geek? Then read the first four pages of this opinion . Nasty. Later on...

If at first you don't succeed, try -- and then try -- again. Who knows? Maybe the third time will be a charm. Like it is here . Timoth...

Can't get enough of civil procedure? Want to desperately know more about subject matter jurisdiction? If so, I'm sure you're n...