procedural guides

California Releases Manson Family Murderer, Leslie Van Houten

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“Leslie Van Houten stabbed my stepmother 14 times. California can’t parole her,” reads the headline of an opinion piece run just last month by Louise LaBianca, the daughter of Leno LaBianca and stepdaughter of Rosemary LaBianca. Yet California can do this, most especially since Gov. Gavin Newsom withdrew from the battle to keep Van Houten, … Read Article

News: Limits to Rap Lyrics in Court; Sleeping Is Not Driving

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Just How Many Hip-Hop Lyrics Can You Use in California Courts? It almost sounds like a riddle but no, this is such a serious topic that there is soon to be a law in California about the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal proceedings. If California’s AB 2799 becomes law, lyrics will only … Read Article

An End to the Controversy at Berkeley – Newsom Signs Bill

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Lawsuits Won’t Get In the Way of Education What happens when a college town grows weary of its college students? Berkeley, a city in Northern California on the San Francisco Bay, is home to the world-renowned University of California, Berkeley. Already known for an extremely low acceptance rate (around 15%), the highly competitive institution has … Read Article

Bobby Kennedy’s Assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, Recommended for Parole

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Sirhan Sirhan – the man serving life in prison for assassinating Senator Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1968, has finally been recommended for parole after his 16th hearing. Two of RFK’s surviving children support Sirhan’s release and believe is he remorseful. Yet six other siblings maintain that their … Read Article

The Courts Are Updating Their Rules, Again

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With another summer upon us, our courts are as busy as ever. Updating Local Rules and procedures is necessary to keep up with the ever-changing world. And subscribing to SmartRules is necessary to keep up with ever-changing court requirements. We do the work to ensure that you always have the most current information. Here are … Read Article

Different Levels of Court Pandemic Responses – California and New York

Courts across the country are taking very different approaches to resuming in-person proceedings during the ongoing pandemic. Even within individual states, courts are making different choices. Today the SmartRules blog looks at courts in the two states with recently devastating outbreaks – New York and California. California courts are exercising different levels of precautions, county … Read Article

2021 Brings New Coronavirus Reporting Requirements

While we may be nearing the end of 2020 we are not yet done with the pandemic. This situation has created new responsibilities for employers in California who will now be required to follow strict health and safety processes as well as conforming with new reporting requirements. As of the beginning of 2021, all California … Read Article

Upcoming Court Rule Amendments – Will You Be Prepared for 2021?

At SmartRules we are always busy keeping our guides up to date but this time of year we are going into one of our busiest seasons. Many courts update their Local Rules and procedures in December & January and again in June & July. Below are just some of the jurisdictions that will be updating … Read Article