California Supreme Court

Oakland Hyphy Sideshows Get A Supreme Court Reprieve, Sort Of

Medical pot can get you fired, court says

Last Night: Harvey Milk Bust Unveiling at City Hall

Summer of Love Redux Party @ CAV Wine Bar

Monday: Phelps Camp VS. Gays and Gavin Newsom at City Hall

Prop 8 Ad Wars: The Counterattack

State Supreme Court To Review Gay Marriage Ban

The Supreme Court of California just announced that it will consider the constitutional challenge to the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8, but it will not issue a stay, which means the state considers gay marriages illegal pending the outcome of the constitutional challenge. San Francisco, San Jos ... More >>

Campaign for California Families' Efforts to Intervene in Prop 8 Litigation Denied

By Ashley Harrell The California Supreme Court's reentry into the Prop 8 war satisfied almost everybody. Yes on 8 and its supporters figure that the three new court cases, which challenge the legality of a same-sex marriage amendment to the state constitution, don't stand a chance. No on 8 and it s ... More >>

Marriage equality can be achieved by separating church and state

By Ashley Harrell The California Supreme Court's reentry into the Prop 8 war satisfied almost everybody. Yes on 8 and its supporters figure that the three new court cases, which challenge the legality of a same-sex marriage amendment to the state constitution, don't stand a chance. No on 8 and it s ... More >>

The Gay Divorcees

Gay marriage is new. Gay divorce isn't.

Lawyers Behaving Badly

Featured Stories

Attorney Privilege

The state bar is supposed to punish dishonest attorneys. Instead, it too often coddles them

Vote Nihilist

The state bar is supposed to punish dishonest attorneys. Instead, it too often coddles them

First Proposition, Then Conception

Take the initiative on the sticky question of parental notification

"I Do" Redux

Do you subconsciously oppose gay marriage? Take our quiz and set your id free!

Finding His Niche

Steve Bingham, a famously exonerated ex-fugitive who advocates for the poor, helps lead the charge against Care Not Cash

Finger-Clicking Good

Why you have to see Bobby Badfingers finger-snap the drum solo to "Wipe Out"

The Fix Is In

At least that's what Janet Campbell claimed about construction bids at UCSF, where she soon found herself out of a job

Funeral Family Feud

After decades of war, the Duggan clan of morticians are still giving one another grief

Press Passes Pass Away

No more free parking for the city's journalists

Prop 8 Advocates: Grandfathering Gay Marriages Akin to Letting Landowners Keep Slaves After Abolition

One problematic book.Press releases gloating over today's California Supreme Court 6-1 decision upholding the constitutionality of Prop 8 (and lamenting the grandfathering in of marriages already performed) have poured from Prop 8 proponents into the inboxes of the media. ... More >>

'A Pale Victory': S.F. Woman's '08 Marriage Still Legal -- But She Finds it Hard to Rejoice

Moya WatsonWatson (on the right) and her wife, Leanne Waldal, are one of the 18,000 same-sex couples who remain legally married after today's court decision.San Francisco resident Moya Watson wasn't surprised when she heard the news about Prop. 8 while standing on the steps of the California Supreme ... More >>

Extremely Civil Disobedience: Prop. 8 Protests Peaceful So Far

Peaceful demonstrators shut down the intersection of Van Ness and Grove"Ordinarily, a person leaving a courtroom with a conviction behind him would wear a somber face," Martin Luther King Jr. said in 1956. "But I left with a smile. I knew that I was a convicted criminal, but I was proud of my crime. ... More >>

Chron Helps Publicize Anti-Prop. 8 Rallies; Conservative Columnist Calls Foul

Hmmm. What will I hate today?Conservative syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin is calling out San Francisco Chronicle political reporter Joe Garofoli for what she says is an inappropriate role in publicizing rallies in support of same-sex marriage.Malkin pointed out on her Web site this afternoon th ... More >>

Perverting Justice

Jessica's Law prevents paroled sex offenders from residing near schools or parks. That means they can only live one place in S.F.: on the streets.

Court Ruling Can't Save L.A. Pot Dispensaries

Win some, lose some​A victory for medical marijuana here, a defeat there. While the California Supreme Court this morning struck down limits on the amount of medical marijuana a licensed user can posses or cultivate, it seems Los Angeles users will soon have a smaller selection of places to&n ... More >>

A Big Fat Bowl of Nothing: What the Pot Limit Strike Down Really Means

What exactly did the California Supreme Court do Thursday, when it struck down a 2003 law limiting the amount of pot a medical marijuana patient can possess to eight ounces? A big fat bowl of nothing, says Dale Gieringer, who as director of the state office of National Organization for the Reform of ... More >>

State Supreme Court To Homeless Sex Offenders: Tough Luck, For Now

Same old, same old...​The California Supreme Court dealt a smackdown to the state's sex offenders today, ruling it is constitutional to enforce the residency restrictions of Jessica's Law on sex offenders released on parole. The law passed by voters in November 2006 states sex offenders can't have ... More >>

Medical marijuana growers score a defense

Same old, same old...​The California Supreme Court dealt a smackdown to the state's sex offenders today, ruling it is constitutional to enforce the residency restrictions of Jessica's Law on sex offenders released on parole. The law passed by voters in November 2006 states sex offenders can't have ... More >>

Dead Tree Digest: Police Brutality, Porn from the Past, and SF's *Other* Teabaggers in This Week's Print Edition

The Obi-Wan Kenobi of police brutality. A Tea Party Republican in lefty San Francisco. Pot smokers who fought the law -- and won. They're all crowded into the latest edition of SF Weekly.​Ever wonder who teaches cops to manhandle street punks? In this week's cover story, Matt Smith profiles Don Ca ... More >>

Distressed Properties

The state's quick budget fix of selling off public buildings is a horrible idea.

Better Off Dead?

Did Jessica's Law kill a homeless sex offender?

Report: Plan to Sell off State Buildings Will Cost Taxpayers Billions

But there are many bad ideas to go 'round...​Investigation reveals plan to patch budget shortfall by selling California buildings includes hidden deal-sweeteners that gouge taxpayersIn March we reported that the state of California fired a San Francisco official who protested a plan to raise money ... More >>

SF Weekly Appeal Finally Heard, But No Decision Yet from the Court

​ Twenty-seven months after a San Francisco jury levied a gargantuan $16 million judgment against SF Weekly and its parent company for allegedly trying to "injure" the Bay Guardian, the California Court of Appeal heard oral arguments in the case Friday morning. The brief session before a thr ... More >>

Ronald George, California Supreme Court Justice Who Legalized Gay Marriage, to Retire

Justice Ron George​California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George, who authored the opinion in the 2008 ruling that resulted in the short-lived legalization of same-sex marriage, has announced that he plans to step down at the end of this year.In a statement posted on the Supreme Court's web ... More >>

Supreme Court Kills Michela Alioto-Pier's Campaign to Run for Supe Again

Luke ThomasThe wheels of justice have not turned in Michela Alioto-Pier's favor​The California Supreme Court denied to hear a petition from Michela Alioto-Pier, killing her chances to run once more for District 2 supervisor. While Superior Court Judge Peter Busch ruled that Alioto-Pier was eligibl ... More >>

Supreme Court Rules State Not Required to Appeal Prop. 8 Ruling

​The California Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a right-wing group's suit that would have compelled the state to appeal Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown have come down in favor of Walker's ruling ... More >>

Don't Ask Don't Tell Told Off

​The Week In GayLate yesterday, another radical hippie judge in California ruled that queers are protected by the U.S. Constitution. A lawsuit against the military ban on gay service members, Don't Ask Don't Tell, was ruled to be a violation of the First Amendment rights of gay people. The suit wa ... More >>

Court Rules Undocumented Students Can Pay In-State Tuition. Great, But a Job?

Waiting tables, Ben. Waiting tables. Wave of the future. ​ The California Supreme Court upheld a law yesterday that allows illegal immigrants who've attended California high schools for at least three years to pay in-state tuition at the state's public universities. Well, that's great news for the ... More >>

Village Voice Media Response to Ruling in California Below-Cost Pricing Suit

​For more than a century, the California Supreme Court has interpreted antitrust law as protecting consumers from high prices, not protecting the profits of entrenched market leaders who fear competition. The Supreme Court's refusal yesterday to follow Justice Joyce Kennard's wishes and hear ... More >>

What's It Take To Lose Your City Pension?

Yeah, he's bad. But is he lose-his-pension bad? ​Last week, we reported that ex-San Francisco cop Paul Makaveckas is facing bribery charges for allegedly shaking down cabdrivers hoping to pass their permit tests. We also noted that the 65-year-old is earning a pension of $101,650 a year. If convic ... More >>

Schwarzenegger Dealt Setback In Bid to Rush $1.3 Billion Building Sale

Drag​Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's frantic bid to rush the $1.3 billion fire sale of 11 state buildings before he leaves office suffered a blow this afternoon. A state appeals court in San Jose announced it wouldn't hear arguments until Jan. 26 regarding whether the sale should be allowed. Schwarze ... More >>

Jerry Brown Should Get Rid of Schwarzenegger's Debt Deals

Drag​Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's frantic bid to rush the $1.3 billion fire sale of 11 state buildings before he leaves office suffered a blow this afternoon. A state appeals court in San Jose announced it wouldn't hear arguments until Jan. 26 regarding whether the sale should be allowed. Schwarze ... More >>

New Year Brings Us The Same Ol' Gay Hot Potato: Marriage

Bring In The Gays​Where did we leave off?  In December, a (sort of) repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell was passed by the Senate and signed by the President. I predicted a long, slow and agonizing death of the policy while John McCain lamented the end of DADT saying that soldiers will lose their l ... More >>

Imperial County Clerk Wants to Defend Prop 8 Appeal

Hold the cake.​Imperial County Clerk Chuck Storey is attempting to sign onto the legal challenge to Judge Vaughn Walker's decision last year that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Storey submitted a brief today to the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco asking for the ability to defend Pr ... More >>

'Pimp' Is a Bitch To Define for California Supreme Court

What do you call that?​Talk about pimping justice: The California Supreme Court must agree upon a precise definition for the term "pimp" before it can resolve a case involving a man who tried to recruit an undercover cop to work as a prostitute.Media reports say a lawyer representing Jomo Zambia a ... More >>

Jerry Brown Rehires Official Who Protested State Building Privatization

That was a close call.​After he was quoted in The Snitch protesting a proposed sale of 24 government office buildings to private investors, Arnold Schwarzenegger fired Donald Casper from his job as a state buildings commissioner.Now that Governor Jerry Brown has scotched the Governator's mone ... More >>

Supreme Court Ruling Could Encourage More Extensive Plastic Bag Ban in S.F.

​There are many things to be proud of, living in San Francisco. Besides being skinnier than the rest of America -- though unfortunately less stylish -- we were the first city to ban single-use plastic bags. (Never mind that the plastic bag ban doesn't actually help the environment. It still makes ... More >>

The Billion-Dollar Bet: Which Pension Reform Measure Will Pass and Survive Legal Challenge

​There are many things to be proud of, living in San Francisco. Besides being skinnier than the rest of America -- though unfortunately less stylish -- we were the first city to ban single-use plastic bags. (Never mind that the plastic bag ban doesn't actually help the environment. It still makes ... More >>

Stephen Glass, Disgraced Journalist, Continues Fight to Practice Law in California

​Disgraced former journalist Stephen Glass has hired a high-caliber Oakland lawyer in his effort to win the right to practice law in California.Glass, who is notoriously known for fabricating magazine articles in the 1990s, has hired Jon Eisenberg, known for successfully suing the U.S. government ... More >>