## 104 from IE pass State Bar exam Seven-thousand, three hundred and sixty-two applicants from around the world took California's July Bar Exam. Four-thousand and thirty-two of those applicants passed. One hundred and four of those successful applicants are from the Inland Empire. Inland Empire Law Weekly extends congratulations to the next generation of lawyers: Who passed? * * * ## Student-plaintiffs in anti-trans Jurupa case claim effective removal from volleyball team The student-athlete-plaintiffs who sued Jurupa High School for including a transgender athlete on the girl's volleyball team have themselves been excluded from the team. The plaintiffs amended their lawsuit Nov. 12 to include the allegations, as well as two to add two more claims of violations of Title IX. The school district has not yet filed a reply to the complaint. The plaintiffs have been told not to sit on the bench at volleyball games, removed from a rosters, required to pay entrance fees to games and denied high-fives from varsity players, the complaint says. The volleyball season is over. Read it here * * * ## Judge denies Redlands' ask to throw out Coyote Aviation case Coyote Aviation's lawsuit alleging Redlands illegally wrestled control of the company's $3 million hangar complex should not be thrown out, San Bernardino Superior Judge Nicole Quintana Winter ruled on Nov. 10. In 2020, Redlands evicted Coyote Aviation from the Redlands Municipal Airport. The company built 16 hangars on the property after signing a 20-year lease in 2000. Redlands won an eviction lawsuit, and beat Coyote Aviation in a lawsuit alleging breach of contract for the eviction. Coyote Aviation filed for a demolition permit on June 21, 2023, with the intent to destroy the hangars. The lease states that Coyote Aviation would remove all improvements upon vacating the property. The city denied the permit, and is now renting out the hangars. Coyote Aviation's amended complaint, filed July 11, argues that the city illegally seized the hangars and violated the contract by, among other acts, denying the demolition permit. Read it here * * * ## Riverside criminal convictions Gilbert Daniel Cole was convicted on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer/firefighter and one count each of resisting an officer, inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, assault on a person causing great bodily injury and endangering a child on Nov. 14. David Diaz was found guilty on one count of murder and two counts of assault with a gun on Nov. 12. Jesus Gabriel Garcia was acquitted of felony attempted voluntary manslaughter, but convicted of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm and a misdemeanor false imprisonment charge on Nov. 12. Tomas Orellana was acquitted of rape by force and assault on a person causing great bodily injury on Nov. 6. Timothy Patrick Miller was convicted of sexual penetration against an unconscious victim on Nov. 5. Daniel Gutierrez Flores was acquitted of sexual battery involving an unconscious person, but convicted of sexual penetration by means of force on Nov. 10. Miguel Angel Duran was convicted of first degree attempted murder and assault with a semi-automatic firearm on Nov. 4. * * * ## DOJ joins Republican lawsuit against Prop 50 redistricting The Department of Justice asked on Nov. 13 to take over the Republican lawsuit alleging California's new redistricting maps racially discriminate against white Californians. They have asked for an injunction to immediately halt the new maps, before campaigns for the November 2026 election get underway. By order of Ninth Circuit Judge Mary Murguia, California Central District Judges Kenneth Kiyul, Wesley Hsu and Josephine Staton will preside over the case in a three-judge court. Inland Empire Law Weekly reported on the lawsuit last week. Last week's coverage * * * ## ICE opened a detention center in a former California prison. Detainees are suing over conditions inside __The CoreCivic California City Immigration Processing Center in California City on Sep. 22, 2025. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos for CalMatters__ Seven detainees at an immigration detention center in California City have sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alleging the facility is polluted by sewage leaks, infested with bugs and is denying people access to food, water and their lawyers. The lawsuit filed Wednesday**** in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California also claims detainees do not have appropriate clothing for the chilly desert nights, nor appropriate medical attention for life-threatening conditions. The lawsuit alleges detainees with mobility issues don’t have access to wheelchairs, and in some cases are unable to bathe or dress themselves. Read it here * * * ## California Supreme Court strikes down warning on LAPD citizen complaint forms __Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department respond to a strike by the National Union of Healthcare Workers in front of Kaiser Permanente's Sunset Boulevard location in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2025. Photo by J.W. Hendricks for CalMatters__ A warning that people see before filing complaints against Los Angeles police officers creates a barrier to free speech, the California Supreme Court ruled today in a long-running lawsuit over the language. The high court ruled 6-1 in favor of the city of Los Angeles and against the union that represents its police officers in finding that the admonishment describing penalties for filing false reports has the potential to deter “citizens from filing truthful (or at least not knowingly false) complaints of police misconduct”. Read it here * * * ## ‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules A California federal judge ruled today that Donald Trump cannot demand that UCLA pay a $1.2 billion settlement that would have imposed severe limits on the campus’s academic freedoms and efforts to enroll an economically and culturally diverse student body or risk continued funding freezes on grants the system relies on for research. The decision by Judge Rita Lin is a preliminary injunction and represents a significant victory for University of California scientists, professors, graduate students and other researchers. They and a national professors association sued Trump in September, claiming that his settlement demand — the most sweeping to date in his war on exclusive universities — represents an “unlawful threat” of funding cuts to coerce the university system into “suppressing free speech and academic freedom rights. Read it here * * * ## Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff indicted on public corruption charges Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, and four co-conspirators were indicted Wednesday on 23 counts of bank and wire fraud, allegedly committed from 2022 to 2024, during her time working for the governor. The indictment, first reported by the Sacramento Bee, alleges that Williamson, a longtime Democratic strategist, worked with Greg Campbell, a prominent Sacramento lobbyist, and Sean McCluskie, the former chief of staff to former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, as well as two other unnamed co-conspirators to steal $225,000 from an unnamed former official’s dormant campaign account for McCluskie’s personal use. “Collectively, they funneled the money through various business entities and disguised it as pay for what was, in reality, a no-show job,” FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said in a news release. Read it here * * * Redlands police arrest teen in Nov. 2 shootingOfficers also investigate three break-ins, respond to a residential fire and make arrests in drug and vandalism cases during the week of Nov. 7–13.Community Forward Redlands NewsCommunity Forward RedlandsRedlands seeks applicants for Planning Commission vacancyApplications due Nov. 19Community Forward Redlands NewsCommunity Forward RedlandsWhy I Am ResigningA federal judge explains his reasoning for leaving the bench.The AtlanticMark L. Wolf Access to this article is gifted by Inland Empire Law Weekly Riverside Police Cite 57 Violations in Commercial Truck CheckpointThe enforcement action on Central Avenue targeted trucks illegally using city streets as freeway shortcuts.The Raincross GazetteGazette StaffSanta Clara County files suit against in-home care business for alleged wage theftThe business is also accused of identity theft for allegedly confiscating a passport and bank cards from an employee.The Mercury NewsCaelyn PenderACLU of KY Secures Dismissal of Charges Against CityBeat ReporterThe ACLU of Kentucky obtained dismissal of the remaining charges against CityBeat reporter Madeline Fening, who was arrested while covering a protest in Northern Kentucky.Cincinnati CityBeatCityBeat StaffTrump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama editThe US president confirmed he intends to sue the broadcaster for at least $1bn over the Panorama edit of a 2021 speech.BBC NewsTrump official refers Rep. Eric Swalwell for a federal criminal probe over alleged mortgage fraudSwalwell is the latest Democrat to face mortgage fraud allegations from Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte, who sent a letter to the Justice Department on Wednesday.NBC NewsKatherine DoyleChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNNA 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.CNNRob Kuznia, Allison Gordon, Ed Lavandera Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, expresses regret | Kansas Reflector

Bill Essayli will continue leading the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California despite being improperly appointed, a federal judge ruled Oct. 28.

California Central District Judge Sunshine Sykes denied the school’s request to throw out the plaintiff’s claim that they treated the transgender athlete better because of her gender identity. Sykes threw out the plaintiff’s other Title IX causes of action.

Attorneys gave opening arguments Sept. 23 in an assault case brought by a patient of Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC). Jesse Simpson alleges he was assaulted and battered by two LLUMC security guards on Oct. 24, 2018, while attempting to get pain pills from the pharmacy. The alleged assault caused him to have two surgeries, his attorney, Daniel Balaban, said. “They take him down in an utterly violent way,” said Balaban. Defendants’ attorney Kenneth Pedroza said the guards were placing Simpson under a citizen’s arrest, to prevent him from harassing a hospital employee. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

Ortiz’s lawsuit said that no witnesses identified him as a shooter, and that no evidence presented him as a shooter. He further says that the Sheriff’s Department had video evidence of the shooters on Feb. 9, and that he did not match their physical description.

A former sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Sept. 13 to one year in jail and 10 years of probation after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter. If he violates probation, Rodriguez will spend 10 years in state prison.

Good morning, It is September 7th. As a reminder, all articles published Aug. 24 are now free to read. Find those stories here. ## Attorneys: Prosecutor made mistakes in past Haro case Murder defendant Jake Haro was not placed in prison for his past child abuse conviction due to prosecutorial mistakes, a group of attorneys write after reviewing the case. The Riverside District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Haro two years late, did not allege great bodily injury and did not object to multiple requests by Haro’s counsel to delay hearings on whether to send him to serve his sentence, the group says. The San Bernardino/Riverside Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates wrote the letter in defense of Judge Dwight Moore. Both Riverside District Attorney Jason Anderson and Sheriff Chad Bianco criticized his handling of the case in _an Aug. 27 press conference_. “Other public officials should not have attacked the judge when the District Attorney had acted passively in the handling of this matter. Comments by public officials claiming that this was an ‘outrageous error in judgment,’ ‘had the judge done his job this would never have occurred,’ and ‘San Bernardino Judges favor defendants over the victims’ appear to be made for political reasons and clearly place the role of the judiciary in a false light in the public eye,” they write. Read the letter * * * ## Feds open three suits against SoCal Edison Federal attorneys filed three cases against Southern California Edison last week, seeking payment for damages and the cost of fighting the 14,000-acre 2025 Eaton Fire in Altadena, the 28,300-acre 2022 Fairview Fire in Hemet, and a small fire in Fresno. Although the Eaton complaint said that Southern California Edison (SCE) caused the fire, it said the investigation into the cause is ongoing, and did not provide any new facts. The federal government has filed 16 cases against SCE since 2007, and the last three resulted in undisclosed settlements. Read it here * * * ## Federal agent shooting update I reported _two weeks ago_ that attorneys demanded an investigation into a federal agent's shooting at Francisco Longoria, a San Bernardino man. _Last week_, Jacquelyn Rodriguez, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County District Attorney, said the office will not review the shooting, because each agency has their own lethal force encounter investigation. Now, I’ve heard back from the California Attorney General’s Office: “To protect their integrity, we are unable to comment, even to confirm or deny, potential or ongoing investigations. * * * ## Local courts, interpreter union, enter fourth month of negotiations The Superior Courts of Imperial, Inyo, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego, collectively known as Region 4, have been engaged in contract negotiations with the court interpreter union since June 2. Read it here * * * ## Riverside water rates case preempted by San Diego ruling The question of how to remedy Riverside water rates deemed to be an unconstitutional tax has been confused by a new California law and a San Diego ruling regarding a similar policy. Read it here * * * ## A three-month-review by the editor The editor It has been three months since I launched the first edition of Inland Empire Law Weekly. This wide variety of events I have reported on since then proves that legal news is human news. Whether you are a lawyer, a delivery driver, a business owner or a stay at home parent, the way the law is applied affects people just like you. This is the idea I built Inland Empire Law Weekly around: legal news about everything, for everybody’s understanding, told honestly & accurately. Read about my ethos, find the social media accounts, and learn about the publication’s upcoming projects below. What's up and coming? * * * ## Free civics education to be held Reminder: The James Otis Lecture will be held Sept. 17, at the La Verne College of Law, from noon till 1:15 p.m. The San Bernardino-Riverside American Board of Trial Advocates will recreate the landmark busing case Crawford v. Board of Education, which laid the legal framework later used for the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. The judge in the case, Paul Egly, was threatened for making a ruling that desegregated the Los Angeles School District. Retired San Bernardino Superior Judge John Pacheco said that the program will compare the threats against Egly to threats against current judges. "We will make it a direct comparison to what is going on with judges today, because they are being attacked, and they are being threatened," Pacheco said by phone. The event is free to attend. * * * ## San Bernardino Superior judges reenact San Bernardino desegregation case San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran and students from Pacific High School attended an Aug. 26 reenactment of the 1944 Lopez v. Seccombe pool desegregation trial. This San Bernardino case resulted in the desegregation of the Perris Hill swimming pool, known as the Plunge. U.S. citizens of Latino descent were only allowed access to the pool on the last day before it was cleaned. Lawyers successfully argued their Fifth and 14th Amendment Constitutional rights were being violated. The case set a precedent that was used to abolish racial segregation nationwide. The reenactment was the second of three case reenactments scheduled with San Bernardino schools. On April 4, the court recreated the 1924 case of Piper v. Big Pines School District, in which Alice Piper, a Native American, challenged her exclusion from the school district in Inyo County. The third event, to be held in December, will focus on the 1946 Orange County case of Mendez v. Westminster. Judges Joseph Ortiz, David Tulcan, Judge James Taylor, Erin Alexander and Rasheed Alexander participated in the reenactment. “By offering civic engagements we help students understand the principles of justice, due process, and constitutional rights—cornerstones of a democratic society. When judges step outside the courtroom to educate, they humanize the judiciary and demystify legal processes. This transparency fosters trust and confidence in the judicial system, especially in communities that may feel disconnected or underserved,” Alexander wrote. Alexander said the reenactment was inspired by the San Bernardino-Riverside American Board of Trial Advocate's 2022 reenactment of Lopez v. Seccombe. Their reenactment was spurred by the dissertation of University of California, Irvine, student Mark Ocegueda. * * * ## Newsom promised real progress on mental health with CARE Court. Here’s what the numbers show In the most-comprehensive look yet at whether people are using Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court, CalMatters found that far fewer Californians are enrolled in the mental health program than he projected. In the nearly two years since Newsom launched CARE Court, it has reached only a few hundred people. That's barely more than the law he criticized, and certainly not the thousands he promised. CalMatters requested CARE Court data from every county in California and conducted more than 30 interviews to compile the first detailed, statewide look at the program. Read it here * * * ## They were convicted of gang crimes. New California Supreme Court rulings trim their sentences The _California Supreme Court_ handed down two decisions last week that could impact decades of sentencing for gang-related offenses and allow thousands of people to petition courts to reexamine their cases. Both rulings turned on _a 2021 law_ that raised the standard of evidence for proving that someone broke a law as part of “criminal street gang activity.” In different ways, the Supreme Court chose to apply the new standard to past convictions. One decision took an incarcerated person off Death Row; the other sided with two incarcerated people who contested past “strikes” on their records that set them on course for lengthy sentences. Read it here * * * ## Commentary: California law silences abuse victims in court. Why won’t the Legislature change this? _"When I confided in my brother and explained what was happening, I believed I was taking a first step toward freedom. I never expected my husband would be killed and that I would be_ __charged with his death__ _, accused of plotting to collect a life insurance payout._ _"I believed the truth would protect me, that if the courts knew about the years of abuse, they would understand. However, at trial I was barred from discussing the years of trauma, fear and violence. Antiquated laws meant my truth was silenced."_ Read it here * * * ## Commentary: Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to fight crime blurs the legal distinction between the police and the military Luke William Hunt is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama. _"As_ __a policing scholar and former FBI special agent__ _, I believe the plan to continue using National Guard troops to reduce crime in cities such as Chicago and Baltimore violates the legal prohibition against domestic military law enforcement._ Read it here * * * ## "Federal judges are frustrated by defiance from the Trump administration and fuzziness from the Supreme Court." _John E. Jones III_, president of Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College: _"The integrity of our system of justice and the judicial system is based on the trust that people place in the jurists that populate that branch, the third branch of government. And as Alexander Hamilton said, the judiciary has neither the sword nor the purse, so it is the credibility of the judiciary that, at the end of the day, carries weight."_ Read it here * * * ## Three states push to put the Ten Commandments back in school – banking on new guidance at the Supreme Court _Charles J. Russo_, Joseph Panzer Chair in Education and Research Professor of Law,_University of Dayton_ _"As disputes rage on over religion’s place in public schools, the Ten Commandments have become a focal point.___At least a dozen states__ _have considered proposals that would require classrooms to post the biblical laws, and three passed laws mandating their display in 2024-2025:___Louisiana__ _,___Arkansas__ _and_ __Texas__ _."_ Read it here * * * ## News from elsewhere CA considers dozens of proposed laws to thwart Trump’s agenda // _San Francisco Chronicle_ CA’s largest ICE detention center quietly reopened and is receiving detainees // _The Fresno Bee_ Blue states that sued kept most CDC grants, while red states feel brunt of Trump clawbacks | _NBC News_ Here’s what you need to know about Fresno suing the Trump administration | _FresnoLand_ The biggest antitrust case against Big Tech in decades turned out to be kind of a flop | _Nieman Lab_ Merced man brings down district attorney | _Mariposa Gazette_ D.C. grand jury declines to indict another defendant amid Trump's crime crackdown | _NBC News_

Murder defendant Jake Haro was not placed in prison for his past child abuse conviction due to prosecutorial mistakes, a group of attorneys write after reviewing the case. The Riverside District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Haro two years late, did not allege great bodily injury and did not object to multiple requests by Haro’s counsel to delay hearings on whether to send him to serve his sentence, the group says. The San Bernardino/Riverside Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates wrote the letter in defense of Judge Dwight Moore. Both Riverside District Attorney Jason Anderson and Sheriff Chad Bianco criticized his handling of the case in an Aug. 27 press conference. “Other public officials should not have attacked the judge when the District Attorney had acted passively in the handling of this matter. Comments by public officials claiming that this was an ‘outrageous error in judgment,’ ‘had the judge done his job this would never have occurred,’ and ‘San Bernardino Judges favor defendants over the victims’ appear to be made for political reasons and clearly place the role of the judiciary in a false light in the public eye,” they write.

It has been three months since I launched the first edition of Inland Empire Law Weekly, so I wrote a small review of what has happened and what is to come.

Good morning, It's Aug. 31, Labor Day weekend. I hope you're enjoying the end of summer. Only you can support local journalism. Now, in celebration of Labor Day, you, or your friends, can do so for cheap. I’m throwing another wind-back-inflation sale, and am setting subscription prices at the value they would be in 1894—when _Congress made Labor Day a national holiday_. You can get a three-month subscription, normally $45, for only $1.20. Subscription renews at $15 per month. Subscribe here As a reminder, all articles published on July 17 are now free to read. You can find those articles _here_. * * * ## Baby murder case causes Sheriff Bianco, DA Hestrin, to question judge and video creators __Press at an Aug. 27 news conference. Courtesy | Riverside County District Attorney's Office__ The charging of Jake and Rebecca Haro of the murder of their baby Emmanuel has caused the Riverside district attorney and sheriff to question both the handling of a prior case against Jake and the involvement of social media creators. Riverside District Attorney Michael Hestrin and Sheriff Chad Bianco both said that Jake should be in prison after pleading guilty to the felony abuse of his other daughter with his ex-wife. Without naming Acting Riverside Superior Judge Dwight Moore, they criticized his decision to suspend Jake’s six-year prison sentence and place him on probation. Read it here * * * ## One month, three indictments: Ontario medical staffers face whiplash in charges following ICE arrest __From left: attorney Carlos Juarez, Jose Ortega and Danielle Davila.__ Jose Ortega and Danielle Davila are once again facing felony charges, this time from the federal grand jury, for stepping in between unidentified ICE agents and Denis Guillen-Solis during a July 8 chase that ended in Ortega and Davila’s office building. Video of the event made national news. The defendants maintain their innocence, and their attorneys said they were deescalating the situation between the agents and the gardener. Read it here * * * ## Riverside company denied restraining order against attempted shareholder __Jason Hunter on Aug. 29, following the dropping of the restraining order against him.__ Riverside Superior Judge Danial Ottolia denied the Gage Canal Company’s petition for a workplace restraining order against Riverside whistleblower Jason Hunter on Aug. 29. The decision itself does not change much for the company majority-owned by the city of Riverside, but it may open up discussions between Hunter and the company’s board of directors. Read testimony from the Gage Canal staff in last week’s article. Read it here * * * ## Maggie Yang swears in to San Bernardino bench Judge Maggie Yang. San Bernardino’s newest judge, Maggie Yang, took her oath of office in Department V2 of Victorville’s Joseph B. Campbell Courthouse on Aug. 28. “I came to the United States from Taiwan on December 26, 1985, when I was seven years old, when I arrived at my Aunt Theresa’s house that evening. It was the first time I had seen a Christmas tree, and it was the first time that I had received Christmas presents. That little seven-year-old immigrant girl, who did not even speak English at the time, could never have imagined that one day she would be standing here before you as a superior court judge,” Yang said. Read it here * * * ## Legal Aid of SB ends summer internship program with mock trial Courtesy | T. Dawn Lejoie Law students Deia Davis, Jasmine Sekhon, Alex Yee, Jesse Nunez and Katherine Demirchyan capped off their summer internships at the Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino with a mock trial on Aug. 4. This year’s fictional case, People v. Jamie Cobey, centered on the mysterious death of Erik Smith, a 70-year-old landlord in the fictional desert community of Burnsley, California. Read it here * * * ## Federal agent shooting update I reported _last week_ that attorneys demanded an investigation from local and state officials into the federal agents’ shooting at Francisco Longoria, a San Bernardino man, while he was heading to work with his son and son-in-law. Jacquelyn Rodriguez, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County District Attorney, said the office will not review the shooting. The California Attorney General’s Office and San Bernardino Police Department have not responded to my request to comment. “Currently, the San Bernardino County DA’s Office does not plan to review the incident. Similar to our own protocols, each agency has their own lethal force encounter investigation procedure. The federal agency would handle their own investigation,” Rodriguez wrote. * * * ## California GOP takes Newsom to court over redistricting, again. Will Trump sue next? __Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio addresses the media during a press conference at the state Capitol in Sacramento on the current national redistricting battle between Democrats and Republicans on Aug. 18, 2025. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters__ Fresh off their failed attempt to kill Gov. _Gavin Newsom_’s redistricting plan in the Democratic-controlled Legislature, California Republicans and anti-gerrymandering groups this week launched an all-out resistance to defeat what they regard as an unconstitutional ballot question. Republican legislators in particular, many of whom lambasted Democrats in fiery floor speeches last week, have stressed that independent redistricting should be a nonpartisan affair. A few even _ventured to lightly scold President Donald Trump_ for urging their counterparts in red states to redraw maps for political gain. And several filed a new lawsuit against the Newsom administration on Monday, their second in a week. Read it here * * * ## Nine years later, California court saga over $23,420 housing fee remains unsettled __New housing construction in Elk Grove on July 8, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters__ Nine years ago, in preparation for his retirement, engineer George Sheetz bought a plot of rural land in El Dorado County and applied for a county permit to place a manufactured home on his parcel. Little did he know that what he thought would be a routine administrative transaction would turn into a legal dispute that would wind its laborious way through California courts, reach the U.S. Supreme Court — where he won a unanimous ruling — and is now back in California’s judicial system with _the eventual outcome still uncertain_. Read it here * * * ## When federal courts fail to punish lawyers for potential misconduct, states can step in __James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025.____Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images__ In early August 2025, _a federal appeals court_ in the District of Columbia stopped efforts by federal trial judge James Boasberg to consider whether to hold Trump administration lawyers in contempt of court. In April, _Boasberg had concluded_ there was probable cause to _hold government lawyers in contempt_ for defying orders he had issued related to the _deportation of migrants to a prison in El Salvador_. The appellate court’s ruling found that such contempt proceedings could not go forward on various technical grounds. Read it here * * * ### Stories from elsewhere 2 of Turpins’ attorneys now defending Haros against charges they murdered 7-month-old Emmanuel | Press-Enterprise In exclusive jailhouse interview, father of baby Emmanuel says he would tell his missing son: ‘I love you, buddy’ | Press-Enterprise Leaders of Hemet religious group arrested in Redlands missing person probePolice seize firearms and electronics in raids across Southern California; investigation continues into 2023 disappearance of Nashville manCommunity Forward RedlandsCommunity Forward RedlandsFontana woman arrested in Redlands drive-by shooting that injured teenPolice say an 18-year-old woman was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting left a 16-year-old boy hospitalized.Community Forward RedlandsCommunity Forward RedlandsCourt rules developer must pay prevailing wages on major Downtown Palm Springs project ⋆ The Palm Springs PostThe case centered on whether the project qualified as a “municipal affair” under California’s home rule provision, which allows charter cities to exempt themselves from state prevailing wage requirements on certain local projects.The Palm Springs PostMark Talkington

Good morning, It's Aug. 24. The articles published Aug. 10 are now free to read, regardless of subscription. You can find them here. ## Attorney for Ontario worker calls charge of assault against ICE officers political __Attorney Carlos Juarez speaks following his client's arraignment.__ Attorneys for the Ontario office workers charged with assault of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers at their office say prosecutors do not have a case on Aug. 19. Outside the Riverside District Court and immediately following their arraignment, Jose Ortega and Danilla Davila’s attorneys said that the anonymous ICE officers had no right to be in the Ontario Advanced Surgery Center, that the government will lose its case, and that the defendants would intervene again if needed. “We got involved because you can’t be hitting and punching a person and say you’re law enforcement,” said Ortega. Read it here * * * ## Riverside water company staff testify for restraining order against potential shareholder The staff of Riverside’s Gage Canal water company testified Aug. 22 that Jason Hunter caused them anxiety and fear during his attempts to join the company’s Board of Directors, and that they needed a workplace restraining order against Hunter. Hunter is a frequent commenter at Riverside city council meetings, the chairperson of _Riverside’s Neighbors Better Together_, and a whistleblower in the _corruption case_ __ of former Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Riverside Public Utilities General Manager David Wright. He says that the workplace violence restraining order is a poor attempt to discourage him from joining the board and looking into the company’s business practices. Four staff members testified for the restraining order. By next Friday, two Gage Canal board members and two shareholders will have testified in opposition. The company obtained the temporary workplace restraining order against Hunter on March 27. Riverside Superior Judge Daniel Ottolia will rule on whether to keep the restraining order after hearing the testimony of Hunter’s remaining witnesses on Aug. 29. Read it here * * * ## Attorneys demand investigation of shooting by federal agent __Francisco Longoria, in red hat, stands at the threshold of his home as his bullet-damaged truck is shown to reporters. Attorney Abel Hernandez in front. Aidan McGloin | Inland Empire Law Weekly.__ Four attorneys gathered on Aug. 22 outside the San Bernardino house of Francisco Longoria, demanding an investigation into the Aug. 16 shooting of Longoria and his two sons by masked men from the federal government. “Justice looks like accountability, and if accountability is a masked individual that’s able to draw a gun, and apprehend somebody without a warrant, are any of us safe?” asked Jason Sanchez. “We are here to call upon state, county and city officials to investigate this shooting,” Sanchez said. Inland Empire Law Weekly left a message with San Bernardino District Attorney Spokesperson Jacqueline Rodriguez for comment, and has not heard back. The San Bernardino police office is closed Fridays. Inland Empire Law Weekly was due back in Riverside court following the presser, and was unable to reach out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. Read it here * * * ## Criminal filings The Riverside District Attorney’s Office announced the Aug. 21 arrest of it’s own employee: investigative technician Jauiquin Moore. Moore is charged on one count of felony sexual battery. Moore has been placed on administrative leave. The case has not yet appeared in the online case system. “Holding all individuals accountable for violations of the law is essential to protecting our community and maintaining the public’s trust,” said Bureau Chief Investigator Natasha Crawford, according to the announcement. San Bernardino man Guillermo Humberto Cascante has been charged for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a child under the age of 14. He faces six felony counts, and will be arraigned Monday in Department S7. Case no. FSB25003113. * * * ## Republicans sue to block Newsom’s gerrymandering, point to legislative gamesmanship __Republican Assemblymember James Gallagher addresses the media during a press conference at the State Capitol in Sacramento on the current national redistricting battle between Democrats and Republicans on Aug. 18, 2025. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters__ A group of California Republicans is suing the state to block the Democratic-controlled Legislature from considering the bills that would allow Gov. _Gavin Newsom_ to facilitate a special election on _gerrymandered congressional maps_. The legal action could slow down the process by which elections officials, _already tight on time_, get the maps onto Californians’ ballots for the Nov. 4 special election Newsom wants. But that depends on how quickly the California Supreme Court moves, and whether it suspends the process while considering the lawsuit. Read it here * * * ## California sues Trump over new conditions on funding for crime victims Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday filed California’s _39th lawsuit against the Trump administration_, challenging new immigration enforcement requirements it placed _on federal funding for crime victims_. States were set to receive more than $1.2 billion in federal crime victim funding this year, with California expected to claim $165 million. But last month, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Victims for Crime announced that states must agree to support and assist the Department of Homeland Security with federal immigration enforcement in order to access those funds. Read it here * * * ## Federal filing roundup * _John Reynolds v. Steve Gordon_ (5:25-cv-02163): Civil Rights Act. California Central District Judge Hernan Vera presides. * Reynolds, an automotive dealer compliance consultant, sues the California DMV on claims that DMV inspectors are illegally failing inspections of dealers throughout the Inland Empire. * _Jane Doe v. City of Riverside_ (5:25-cv-02181): federal question: other civil rights. Unassigned. * Plaintiff claims that Riverside Police Officer Henry Ventura sexually assaulted her, while in his uniform, after calling her 30 times over five days. The complaint claims he got her contact information during a traffic stop. Read more here * * * ## News from elsewhere Judge: County made ‘fatal’ error dismissing AMR | Chino Valley Champion Report slams Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco on low violent crime clearance rate | _Press-Enterprise_ San Bernardino Councilwoman Alleges Police Chief Tried to Silence Her in CLETS Lawsuit | _IE Community News_ Child abuse probe is related to missing Cabazon boy’s case | _Redlands Daily Facts_ Big Bear woman charged with 93 counts of animal cruelty | _Big Bear Grizzly_ Hemet woman accused of $195,000 Ponzi scheme and threatening victims with deportation | _Press-Enterprise_ Adam Schiff forms legal defense fund | _Politico_ AG Rob Bonta speaks with attorney Chris Geidner | _Law Dork_ Filipino journalist faces 40 years if convicted in trial of possessing firearms | _Washington Post_

Democrats thought they were staging a slow takeover of the county. Instead, it's become the Republican bench.

Good morning, It is Sunday, Aug. 17. ## _Street vendors sue Fontana, claim illegal seizure of property_ Fontana has been illegally throwing away street vendors’ property, a lawsuit filed Aug. 11 by the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice claims. The suit charges Fontana with intentionally making it burdensome to get a food vendor license—and then unconstitutionally seizing and throwing away unlicensed vendors’ carts and food. Read it _here_. ## _Essayli drops charges against Ontario medical workers in ICE raid_ On Aug. 15, US Attorney Bill Essayli asked to withdraw his case against two Ontario medical staffers recorded during an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raid. His July 24 complaint charged Jose de Jesus Ortega and Danielle Davila with assaulting a federal officer and conspiracy to prevent a federal officer from discharging his duties. Read it here. ## _Child sexual assault suit reform bill passes Assembly Judiciary Committee_ Childhood sexual assault litigation may be reformed again. In 2019, the legislature extended the statute of limitations around child sex assault cases, giving plaintiffs until _their 40th birthday to file._ In 2022, the legislature almost _entirely removed the statute of limitations_. With public agencies facing a tidal wave of lawsuits, Sacramento is considering bringing the statute of limitations back. Read it here. ## _Federal judge orders Trump administration to restore hundreds of UCLA research grants_ A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore a portion of the 800 federal science research grants that it suspended at UCLA last month, delivering a major setback to efforts to force the university into a $1 billion settlement. California district court judge Rita F. Lin _ruled Tuesday_ that the suspensions violated her June preliminary injunction in which she ordered the National Science Foundation to restore 114 grants it had terminated at the University of California and blocked the agency from cancelling other grants at the UC system. Read it _here_. ### Aug. 17, 2025 federal filing roundup Five government cases, 11 ADA cases, and more in this week's federal civil filing roundup. ## Calendar Aug. 19 Hispanic Bar Association of the Inland Empire’s _networking event_, Riverside Aug. 25 Hispanic Bar Association of the Inland Empire’s _reenactment of Lopez v. Seccombe_, San Bernardino Justice Center Sept. 11 Riverside County Bar Association _Installation Dinner_, Mission Inn Sept. 17 San Bernardino | Riverside American Board of Trial Advocate’s _reenactment of Crawford v. Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles_, University of La Verne ### Around the world “Taking sides”: UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky wrote about the Supreme Court | _Riverside Lawyer Magazine_ Menifee police officer, formerly LAPD, accused of sex crimes on and off duty | _Press Enterprise_ The children facing quick deportation, alone, in SF immigration court | _The San Francisco Standard_ Appeals court reverses course, upholding Arkansas's ban on trans medical care for minors | _Law Dork_ San Francisco federal trial over Trump's National Guard deployment to LA | _ABC7_ Hack of federal court filing system exploited security flaws known since 2020 | _Politico_ ‘Instilling fear’: Fired Bay Area immigration judges say Trump is trying to control courts | _San Francisco Chronicle_ SoCal Edison may sue public agencies that could share liability for Eaton fire damage | _OC Register_ Incarcerated Firefighters’ Pay Could Go From $5.80 a Day to 7.25 an Hour | _PBS SoCal_ Net neutrality advocates won’t appeal loss, say they don’t trust Supreme Court | _Ars Technica_ Is Kari Lake a CEO? Her agency said so. The law suggests not | NPR Judge rejects Papaya attempt to gag Times of Malta | _Times of Malta_

The hedge fund known for gutting newsrooms has bumped up its offer to buy the paper — but Texas law may be what stands in the way of an acquisition.

Good morning, It's August 10. As a reminder, all articles published on July 27 are now free to read, regardless of subscription. Among the headlines: Feds charge Ontario surgery center staff for ICE interference, 9th Circuit affirms deportation of Mexican band member threatened by cartel, Birthright citizenship order enjoined again. You can find those articles here. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the appointments of San Bernardino Superior Judge Corey Lee to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Two, and of prosecutor Maggie Yang to the county court on Aug. 7. Lee has served as a judge since 2015, when she was appointed by then-Governor Jerry Brown. From 2008 to 2015, she worked as a deputy chief assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to Newsom's announcement. Immediately prior, she worked in the San Bernardino District Attorney's Office. From 2004 to 2007, Lee worked in the Riverside District Attorney's Office. From 2003 to 2004, Lee clerked in the Department of Justice's Executive Office of Immigration Review. Her nomination is dependent on the approval of the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Lee graduated from Loyola Law School. Yang, Newsom's appointment to San Bernardino Superior Court, has been a San Bernardino prosecutor since 2007. She graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. Kimberly Long ## Wrongfully convicted: 9th Circuit affirms Judge Slaughter’s denial of qualified immunity in Corona case Kimberly Long, a mother cleared of her 2005 murder conviction, will be able to bring the police officers who investigated her case to court. Long’s _second amended complaint,_ filed Jan. 26, 2023, claims that the officers hid evidence in her favor and manipulated witnesses against her when they investigated her for the 2003 murder of her boyfriend, Oswaldo Conde. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal found Aug. 4 that California Central District Judge Fred Slaughter _properly ruled_ that the five officer defendants are not protected under California’s police officer immunity law. Read it _here_. ## Norco prison to close because of falling inmate population Norco for years has been lobbying to close the California Rehabilitation Center, arguing the city can find a better use for the site. It was an art deco hotel before it was a state prison. Now, the prison is on track to close in 2026. Newsom’s corrections department said on Tuesday that the prison is no longer needed because of the state’s falling incarcerated population. Read it _here_. # Northern District judge sets hearing for feds to prove they did not violate funding injunction A federal judge on Aug. 5 ordered lawyers for the Trump administration to explain why last week’s suspension of about 300 UCLA grants by the National Science Foundation does not run afoul of that judge’s June order barring the agency from terminating additional grants. Read it here. # The case that saved the press – and why Trump wants it gone Professor Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin of Boise State University on New York Times v. Sullivan: _Trump made overturning Sullivan a talking point during his first campaign for president; his lawsuits now put that threat into action. And they raise the question: What happened in Sullivan, and why does it still matter?_ Read it _here_. ## Football and faith could return to the Supreme Court – this time, over loudspeakers Professor Charles Russo of University of Dayton on prayers before games: _With the start of another high school football season around the corner, a long-simmering dispute has heated up: prayers at games._ _Kennedy v. Bremerton_ _, the case of a high school football coach praying on the field after games, has been in the spotlight since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling. But another football controversy first emerged in 2015, when two Christian schools in Florida made it to the state championships. The games were run by the state’s high school athletic association, a government body._ ## California Supreme Court hands victory to rooftop solar panel owners ​​In a unanimous vote, justices told a lower court to revisit a ruling that upheld reduced payments to solar panel owners for selling excess power back to utility companies. Read it _here_. ### Small bits _Federal filing roundup_ Appellate ruling roundup Probate attorney Sam Price’s podcast has _a new episode this week_, with real estate agent Justin Fautsch. ## Calendar Aug. 14 San Bernardino County Bar Association's _A Night at the Museum_, San Bernardino Aug. 16 _Consumer Attorneys of Inland Empire Summer Family BBQ_ in Fontana Aug. 19 Hispanic Bar Association of the Inland Empire’s _networking event_, Riverside Aug. 25 Hispanic Bar Association of the Inland Empire’s _reenactment of Lopez v. Seccombe_, San Bernardino Justice Center Sept. 11 Riverside County Bar Association _Installation Dinner_, Mission Inn Sept. 17 San Bernardino | Riverside American Board of Trial Advocate’s _reenactment of Crawford v. Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles_, University of La Verne ## Law from around the world AG Bill Essayli Orders Cases His Staff Say Lack Evidence | _Bloomberg Law_ Corona woman suspected of stabbing husband to death | _Press Enterprise_ Riverside County deputy arrested, accused of misusing confidential databases | _Press Enterprise_ Duo accused of pimping out runaway girl in Riverside, other locations | _Press Enterprise_ Search warrant served in Hemet in 2023 Redlands missing person case | _Community Forward Redlands_ Florida Sues Huge Porn Sites Including XVideos and Bang Bros Over Age Verification Law | _404 Media_ Inside the fringe movement teaching Americans to punish officials with fake debt claims | _LA Times_ Ken Paxton asks Texas Supreme Court to expel 13 House Democrats over redistricting standoff | _Texas Tribune_ Judge blocks Beto O’Rourke from financially supporting Texas Democrats who left the state | _Texas Tribune_ US citizens jailed in LA Ice raids speak out: ‘They came ready to attack’ | _The Guardian_ Trump’s War on Big Law Means It’s Harder to Challenge the Administration | _ProPublica_ Lucasfilm and Disney settle with actor Gina Carano following her firing from ‘The Mandalorian’ | _AP_ US condemns Brazil supreme court judge for ordering house arrest of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro | _The Guardian_

Good morning. It is June 29. Today’s edition of Inland Empire Law Weekly includes three articles on Friday’s Supreme Court Trump v. CASA ruling. I have lifted the paywall for the coverage of the CASA...

Local news isn’t dead. It’s just smaller.

UC Riverside's collection of 21 million historical newspaper pages could cease operations by June 30 without $300,000 in emergency funding.