Put a hidden camera in your stepdaughter’s room to capture pictures of her undressing? Spend the rest of your life in federal prison, even for a first offense. (The defendant here is 61, and was sentenced to 21 years in
California Appellate Report
The California Appellate Report, published by Professor Shaun Martin, covers appellate court decisions in California with a focus on diverse legal issues including family law disputes such as custody and divorce-related property rights, state and federal contempt proceedings, criminal law interpretations particularly involving firearms regulations, neighbor and property litigation, and tax law challenges related to local government financing programs like PACE. The blog analyzes court opinions, contrasting judicial approaches and reasoning, and discusses procedural and substantive legal principles as applied by California appellate courts and occasionally federal courts within the Ninth Circuit.
Blog Authors
Latest from California Appellate Report
People v. Perkins (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 19, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
With respect, I think that Justice Cody beats Justice Yegan in this one.Everyone agrees that one judge generally can’t reconsider the decisions of a different judge. In criminal cases (like this one) or any others.Justice Yegan, in dissent, thinks…
People v. Lackey-Garcia (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 19, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
I completely understand why Justice Feinberg comes out this way. Her analysis of precedent is coherent and thoughtful. I appreciated it.But unlike Justice Feinberg, I think that Justice King’s dissent in 2010 got it right. My view is that…
U.S. v. California (9th Cir. – Oct. 14, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
California can make its own police officers wear uniforms and provide identification, but it can’t make the federal government do the same. Even within California. That’s different than traffic laws. Traffic laws apply to everyone, so California can (maybe) require that…
People v. Superior Court (Garcia) (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 13, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
I agree with Justice Chavez that the writ here should be granted, but if it were me, I would add one important caveat to the opinion.I’m on board for the Court of Appeal’s holding that the prosecution can file a…
Martinez v. Contreras (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 9, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
We presumably won’t see any published opinions today since it’s a holiday (for some), so I wanted to briefly mention this opinion from late Friday.It’s unusual. You don’t see many Court of Appeal opinions that find it to be…
Fanuc Corp. v. Superior Court (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 9, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
I’m grading midterm examinations in my civil procedure class right now, and the essay portion of that exam entirely revolves around the “relatedness” requirement of specific personal jurisdiction after the Supreme Court’s holding in Ford Motor Co. Which is precisely the…
Luna v. Top Dawg Entertainment (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 8, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
The Court of Appeal holds today that when you want to sue anonymously, you’ve got to follow the correct procedures; to wit, filing your complaint conditionally and then seeking to proceed as a Jane Doe. By contrast, if you simply…
Steer v. Town of Los Gatos (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 6, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
Multimillionaire neighbors in Los Gatos using California environmental statutes to delay their neighbor from building a home on a vacant lot next to theirs.It doesn’t work in the trial court, but succeeds in the Court of Appeal today.It’s not going…
Chin v. DoorDash, Inc. (Cal. Ct. App. – Oct. 5, 2026)
By Shaun Martin
Plaintiff files a retaliation suit against his employer, DoorDash, but deliberately refrains from making a sexual harassment claim, hoping that the trial court will refuse to compel arbitration on the merits, without applying the California harassment exception. Sadly (for him),…