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Every story on LexCircuit filed under criminal: court orders, regulation, ethics opinions, litigation and research, each summarized across its sources.

75 stories

9TH CIR.Court order

Judge rules Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as de facto U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, bars him from two cases

Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled on Tuesday, October 27, that Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor and disqualified him from overseeing two criminal cases. Seabright found the Justice Department's revised delegation made no meaningful difference after a Ninth Circuit ruling on Nevada's Sigal Chattah. He declined to dismiss the indictments and delayed the disqualifications pending an expected stay request.

Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Los Angeles Times
N.Y.Regulation

New York S.5041 extends Address Confidentiality Program to victims of intimate-image dissemination

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill 5041 (A.6338) on October 27, 2026, her office said. The act amends Executive Law section 108(1)(i) to add victims of unlawful dissemination or publication of an intimate image, Penal Law section 245.15, to the definition of a victim of a sexual offense eligible for the Address Confidentiality Program, which provides a substitute mailing address through the Secretary of State. The act took effect immediately.

Enrolled text (New York State Senate) → · Office of the Governor of New York
N.Y.Regulation

New York S.9341A sets civil penalties for lodging facilities that omit trafficking-victim information

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed A.8939A, the same as S.9341A, on October 27, 2026, as Chapter 365 of the Laws of 2026. The act adds subdivision 3 to General Business Law section 206-f: a lodging facility that fails to provide the required information on services for human trafficking victims is liable for a civil penalty of $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for each later offense, after notice and a 30-day cure period. It takes effect November 26.

Enrolled text (New York State Senate) →
UKBreaches and incidents

White-collar boutique Rahman Ravelli enters administration and is closing down

Financial crime and commercial litigation boutique Rahman Ravelli has entered administration, with BTG Advisory's Andrew Hosking and Jamie Taylor appointed joint administrators on October 20, 2026. Clients are being asked to choose new firms, and a solicitor manager will transfer client money, which the firm says is unaffected. The firm, founded in 2001, has offices in London and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

Report (Law Gazette) → · ICLG
PA.Regulation

Pennsylvania Act 106 standardizes sexual assault evidence testing statewide

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1212 was approved on October 22, 2026, as Act No. 106 of 2026, amending the Sexual Assault Testing and Evidence Collection Act of 2006. Sexual assault evidence now counts as awaiting testing whenever it has been collected and not yet analyzed, removing the local law enforcement agency's discretion over whether a kit should be tested. Laboratories and local agencies report backlogged evidence through the statewide tracking system. The act took effect immediately.

Enrolled text (Pennsylvania General Assembly (palegis.us)) → · Pennsylvania Senate Republicans
PA.Regulation

Pennsylvania Act 115 ties Game Commission entry onto private land to the state constitution's search-and-seizure clause

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1431 was approved on October 22, 2026, as Act No. 115 of 2026, amending sections 303 and 901 of Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. From December 21, 2026, Game Commission officers, employees and representatives may enter property outside buildings only in accordance with Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the search-and-seizure clause; the former unconditional right to enter posted or unposted land is repealed.

Enrolled text (Pennsylvania General Assembly (palegis.us)) → · Pennsylvania Senate Republicans
CAL.Funding

Longeye raises $20 million Series A for AI evidence review used by justice agencies

San Francisco startup Longeye, which sells an AI investigative workspace to police departments, prosecutors and public defenders, said on October 21, 2026, that it raised a $20 million Series A led by N47, with Andreessen Horowitz's American Dynamism practice participating. The company said more than 50 justice agencies now use the platform to search jail calls, video, phone extractions and financial records.

Announcement (Business Wire) → · We Are San Francisco
N.Y.Regulation

New York Chapter 315 enacts Francesco's Law on firearm safe storage

New York Assembly Bill 1962-B, known as Francesco's Law, was signed on October 21, 2026, as Chapter 315 of the Laws of 2026. The act amends Penal Law section 265.45 so an owner or custodian stores a rifle, shotgun or firearm in a safe storage depository or with a locking device whenever it is out of the person's immediate possession or control, without regard to who resides in the home.

Enrolled text (New York State Assembly) → · Sun Community News

Rulings this week

All court orders

N.Y.Regulation

New York Chapter 316 bars ammunition sales to persons prohibited from possessing rifles or shotguns

New York Senate Bill 7236 was signed on October 21, 2026, as Chapter 316 of the Laws of 2026, amending Penal Law section 400.03. A new subdivision 9 provides that an ammunition background check is denied if the purchaser is prohibited from possessing a shotgun or rifle, is barred under 18 U.S.C. 922(g), or is subject to a temporary or final extreme risk protection order.

Enrolled text (New York State Senate) → · New York State Assembly
U.S. FEDRegulation

United States requires Labor Department trafficking training within 180 days

The president signed H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, on October 20, 2026. The Act directs the Secretary of Labor to implement, within 180 days after enactment, a training and periodic continuing-education program for Department of Labor employees selected by reference to their official duties, including referral of potential trafficking cases to the Department of Justice.

Enrolled text (U.S. Government Publishing Office) → · The White House
U.S.Court order

Supreme Court agrees to decide whether 1868 federal ban on home distilling is constitutional

The U.S. Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, granted the federal government's petition in Department of Justice v. McNutt, agreeing to decide whether an 1868 law banning the production of distilled spirits at home is a valid exercise of Congress's taxing power. The Fifth Circuit struck the ban down in a suit by the Hobby Distillers Association, while the Sixth Circuit upheld it in a separate case.

Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · CBS News, SCOTUSblog
U.S.Court order

Supreme Court turns away 9/11 defendants' bid to revive scrapped plea deals

The Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, declined to hear appeals from Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, Walid bin 'Atash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi seeking to enforce 2024 plea agreements that would have spared them the death penalty in exchange for life sentences. The denial leaves in place a D.C. Circuit ruling that then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin validly withdrew the deals. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not participate in Mohammad's case.

Order (Supreme Court of the United States) → · NBC News, CBS News, SCOTUSblog
CANADA · S.C.C.Court order

SCC: rape-shield limits do not categorically bar sex-work history in trafficking and sexual-services trials

The Supreme Court of Canada unanimously held on October 16, 2026, in R. v. A.M., that Criminal Code section 276 does not categorically apply to human-trafficking and sexual-services offenses, so commercial evidence of a complainant's prior sex work may be admissible. The Court dismissed the Crown appeal and upheld new trials on the sexual-services counts, Canadian Lawyer reported.

Order (Canadian Lawyer) → · Supreme Court of Canada
D. MASS.Litigation

Ex-Big Law associate charged with insider trading seeks subpoenas to his former firms

Nicolo Nourafchan, a former Big Law associate charged in a federal insider trading case, filed a motion on October 14, 2026, in Massachusetts federal court seeking subpoenas to three law firms where he previously worked, Bloomberg Law and Law.com reported. The motion redacts the firms' names; both outlets identified them as Sidley Austin, Latham & Watkins and Goodwin Procter.

Filing (Bloomberg Law) → · Law.com, The Lawyer
E.D. LA.Court order

Former New Orleans lawyer Danny Keating gets 32 months in staged truck crash scheme

U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown of the Eastern District of Louisiana on October 15, 2026, sentenced former personal injury lawyer Danny Patrick Keating Jr. to 32 months in prison and about $657,000 in restitution for his role in Operation Sideswipe, a scheme to stage crashes with 18-wheelers for insurance payouts. Keating pleaded guilty in 2021 and testified against convicted lawyers Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles.

Order (WDSU) → · The Times-Picayune | nola.com, Fox 8 WVUE, ABA Journal +1
GA.Court order

Georgia Supreme Court disbars injury lawyer over felony plea in stolen accident report scheme and unreported conviction

The Supreme Court of Georgia on October 14, 2026 disbarred personal injury lawyer William Taylor Payne for violating Rule 8.4(a)(2), by entering an Alford guilty plea to one felony count under the Georgia RICO Act, and Rule 9.1(a)(2), by failing to notify the State Bar of the conviction. The count alleged Payne and three others used stolen Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System data to obtain personal injury clients and money. The ABA Journal reported more than 30,000 accesses.

Order (Supreme Court of Georgia) → · ABA Journal
CAL.Litigation

California sues ICE to end civil immigration arrests at state courthouses

California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on October 15, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to stop civil immigration arrests at state courthouses. The suit, which Bonta's office called the state's 100th against the administration, says arrests continued after a federal court vacated ICE's courthouse enforcement directive in June 2026, deterring victims, witnesses and defendants from appearing in court.

Filing (California Department of Justice) → · Bloomberg Law
UKRegulation

Courts and Tribunals Bill clears Commons third reading after jury-trial U-turn

The UK Courts and Tribunals Bill passed its House of Commons third reading by 301 votes to 193 and moves to the House of Lords, the Law Society Gazette reported October 14, 2026. The government removed the Crown Court Bench Division clause that would have narrowed jury trials and added a duty to commission an independent review of differential treatment by race or socio-economic background.

Text (Law Society Gazette) → · UK Parliament
UKBreaches and incidents

Legal Aid Agency says hackers took records dating to 1978, including probation data

The Legal Aid Agency said October 14, 2026 that data stolen in its 2025 cyber attack includes about 250,000 records predating 2007, the earliest from 1978, plus some probation data. Exfiltrated provider data may include office locations, payment details and bank account numbers and sort codes. Courts minister Sarah Sackman said there is no indication the stolen data has been published or shared.

Report (GOV.UK) → · Law Gazette
D.C.People moves

Mayer Brown hires Sheppard Mullin's Joseph Jay as white collar co-chair

Mayer Brown hired A. Joseph Jay III, who co-led Sheppard Mullin's governmental practice, as co-chair of its global investigations and white collar defense practice, Bloomberg Law reported October 13, 2026. Jay said he moved to work again with practice chair Ken Wainstein, a former homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush; Bloomberg Law reported the pair wrote the University of North Carolina academic fraud report.

Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Mayer Brown
UKRegulation

UK government responds to all 180 Leveson criminal courts review recommendations

The UK government published its response to Sir Brian Leveson's Independent Review of the Criminal Courts on October 12, 2026, setting out decisions on all 180 recommendations aimed at cutting the Crown Court backlog. It backs working with the legal profession on the criminal legal aid market's operating model, agrees in principle to regular legal aid fee reviews, and is exploring AI transcription of court proceedings.

Text (GOV.UK (Ministry of Justice)) → · Legal Futures, Law Gazette
UKRegulation

UK MoJ expands remote hearings pilot and rebrands Blitz courts as short trial courts

The UK Ministry of Justice announced on October 12, 2026, a pilot expanding remote hearings so cases can be transferred digitally to judges anywhere in England and Wales, alongside rebranding Blitz courts as short trial courts prioritizing domestic abuse, drug and knife crime, the Law Gazette and a GOV.UK release reported. Future expansion is subject to evaluation and judicial approval.

Text (Law Gazette) → · GOV.UK
UKRegulation

UK consults on whistleblowing reform and SFO rewards for economic crime tips

The UK government opened a consultation on October 12, 2026 on whether the existing whistleblowing framework still works and on a proposed Serious Fraud Office scheme paying financial rewards to people who report economic crime. Rewards would be funded from corporate penalties and paid only after cases conclude; the consultation closes January 8, 2027.

Text (GOV.UK) → · Law Gazette
UKRegulation

Inspectors say SFO improved disclosure but legally privileged material remains key risk

HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate said the Serious Fraud Office has made 'credible progress' on disclosure since its 2024 inspection, but that 'the most significant residual risk concerns the management of legally privileged material.' The Oct. 8 follow-up report found no automatic LPP status reporting for case teams and less well-defined ownership of the LPP model, and recommended monthly LPP status updates by October 2027.

Text (HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate) → · Law Gazette
UK · EWCACourt order

Court of Appeal says judges sentencing by live link should be rare and cuts fraud sentence for guideline errors

In R v Priestley [2026] EWCA Crim 1284, the Court of Appeal said a judge sentencing by live link, especially where custody is likely, should be rare and administrative convenience is not enough; the resident judge should be consulted, counsel given reasons and a chance to object, and a short ruling uploaded to the digital case system. It cut Frederic Priestley's fraud sentence from 35 to 24 months for harm-category and mitigation errors but refused to suspend it.

Order (The National Archives (Find Case Law)) → · Solicitors Journal, Law Gazette
FLA. 1ST DCACourt order

Florida appeals court expunges Hope Florida grand jury report, finding Centene settlement lawful and its release improper

Florida's First District Court of Appeal on October 7 ordered expunged a Leon County grand jury report that found $10 million from a Medicaid settlement with Centene was misappropriated. The 19-page ruling held the settlement lawful because no civil action had been filed, found the money paid to the Hope Florida Foundation was not diverted, and faulted State Attorney Jack Campbell for distributing the report before those named could seek to suppress it.

Order (WGCU (News Service of Florida)) → · NBC 6 South Florida
SOUTH KOREAPeople moves

Korea's YK names former military prosecutor Woochan Shim to head defense industry group

Seoul-based YK Law Firm has hired Woochan Shim, a former army officer and military prosecutor, as a partner and head of its defense and defense industry group. YK said the hire, effective October 1, extends the group beyond military criminal and disciplinary cases into defense procurement investigations, administrative sanctions, contracts, regulation and corporate compliance.

Announcement (ChosunBiz) → · Aju Press, Law.asia
UK · EWCACourt order

Court of Appeal quashes five former Barclays traders' rate-rigging convictions after Hayes ruling

The Court of Appeal of England and Wales on October 7 quashed the Libor and Euribor conspiracy-to-defraud convictions of former Barclays traders Jay Merchant, Jonathan Mathew, Alex Pabon, Philippe Moryoussef and Colin Bermingham. The appeals, referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, argued their juries received directions like those the UK Supreme Court found wrong when it quashed Tom Hayes's conviction in July 2025; the Serious Fraud Office did not oppose them.

Order (BBC News) → · The Independent, Criminal Cases Review Commission
U.S.Court order

Sotomayor warns judges after Alabama juror was arrested in front of jury pool

Justice Sonia Sotomayor on October 5, 2026, criticized an Alabama trial judge who had a prospective juror arrested in front of the jury pool for arriving late, warning that such conduct can intimidate jurors. She wrote in a statement concurring in the Supreme Court's denial of review in Steven Mulkey's capital murder case, noting his lawyers had not objected at trial.

Order (Law360) → · ABA Journal
D.C.People moves

O'Melveny hires SEC enforcement lawyer D. Mark Cave as Washington partner

O'Melveny & Myers said on October 5, 2026, that D. Mark Cave has joined its white collar defense and corporate investigations practice as a partner in Washington, D.C., from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement staff. Cave advises corporations, financial institutions, investment advisers, broker-dealers, executives, and boards in SEC enforcement proceedings and related regulatory matters.

Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Law360 Pulse
MICH.Regulation

Michigan adds gift card fraud to its organized retail crime felony, effective January 3, 2027

Michigan enacted Public Act 109 of 2026 (HB 4598), amending MCL 752.1084 of the Organized Retail Crime Act. Starting January 3, 2027, it is a crime to knowingly, and with intent to defraud, acquire gift cards or redemption information, alter or tamper with them, exploit holders, issuers or sellers, or use such cards to obtain value. Organized retail crime is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.

Enrolled text (Michigan Legislature) → · MI House Republicans (gophouse.org), Governor Whitmer (michigan.gov)
UKRegulation

Norris scraps Crown Court Bench Division after outcry over judge-alone trials

The UK government said on October 4, 2026, that Justice Secretary Alex Norris will drop the planned Crown Court Bench Division, under which judges would have tried cases likely to draw sentences of up to three years without a jury. The Courts and Tribunals Bill, due back in the Commons on October 13, still ends defendants' right to elect jury trial for either-way offenses, keeps judge-alone trials for complex fraud and expands magistrates' sentencing powers.

Text (Law Gazette) → · GOV.UK, The Guardian, The Independent +1
SPAINPeople moves

Andersen Iberia integrates Martín & Parés, adding Barcelona litigation partners

Iberian Lawyer and Líder Legal reported on October 2, 2026, that Andersen Iberia integrated Barcelona litigation boutique Martín & Parés Abogados. Eva López Parés and Víctor J. Martín join as litigation partners with four colleagues, lifting the Barcelona office to 42 professionals including 11 partners and deepening commercial litigation, contractual liability, and economic-crime work in Catalonia.

Announcement (Iberian Lawyer) → · Líder Legal
N.Y.People moves

Wachtell moves rare lateral Joon Kim from Cleary into New York litigation

Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz hired former Manhattan federal prosecutor Joon Kim from Cleary Gottlieb as a New York litigation partner, Bloomberg Law, Legal Business, and Law360 Pulse reported on October 1, 2026. Kim's work includes investigations and white-collar matters. The hire follows the departure of Wachtell co-chair William Savitt and other partners to Gibson Dunn.

Announcement (Legal Business) → · Bloomberg Law, Law360 Pulse
CAL.Regulation

California requires protective orders for sexually explicit evidence depicting adult victims

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1056 on September 30, 2026. New Penal Code section 1054.11 requires courts, in prosecutions for specified serious felonies involving sexually explicit material depicting an adult victim, to issue a protective order limiting disclosure of that material to safeguard the victim’s privacy while preserving the defendant’s right to a fair trial. Parties may share copies only as the order permits.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, EdSource
ARIZ. CT. APP.Court order

Arizona appeals court vacates manslaughter sentence over reliance on AI victim video impact statement

The Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed Gabriel Horcasitas's manslaughter conviction but vacated his 10.5-year sentence and remanded for resentencing, holding that the trial judge's consideration of an AI-generated video of the deceased victim, Christopher Pelkey, rendered the sentencing fundamentally unfair. The three-judge panel found the video, scripted by Pelkey's sister to depict him addressing the court and forgiving the defendant, lacked sufficient reliability.

Opinion (Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One) → · Reuters, FOX 10 Phoenix, AZFamily
CAL.Regulation

California requires a state prosecutor to investigate immigration-officer shootings that kill unarmed civilians

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1806 on September 29, 2026. New Government Code section 12525.4 requires a state prosecutor, the Attorney General unless another is named, to conduct an independent investigation of any shooting by an immigration enforcement officer that kills an unarmed civilian, and to prepare a written report with a statement of facts and a detailed analysis and conclusion on each investigatory issue.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California requires police to inform crime victims of immigration-relief rights by 2028

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1994, the Defending Immigrant Victims Act, on September 29, 2026. It adds Penal Code section 679.028, requiring law enforcement and prosecutors to inform crime victims — or their next of kin, parents, or guardians — of immigration-relief rights by January 1, 2028. The Attorney General must design an 'Immigrant Victims Rights and Resources' card covering U and T visas, VAWA relief, the cooperation requirement, and legal-services resources.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor
CAL.Regulation

California requires pornographic websites to keep nonconsensual and underage content off their sites

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1705 on September 30, 2026. From January 1, 2027, operators of pornographic websites must exercise ordinary care and take reasonable steps to ensure displayed and uploaded sexually explicit content does not include anyone who did not consent, was a minor when it was made, or did not consent to its upload. Uploaders must certify the depicted individuals' status under penalty of perjury.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
CAL.Regulation

California extends likeness and impersonation laws to AI digital replicas

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1111 on September 30, 2026. From January 1, 2027, the Civil Code cause of action for using a person's voice or likeness without consent covers digital replicas, defined as computer-generated, highly realistic representations of a person who did not perform or whose performance was materially altered. Using a digital replica to impersonate someone counts as false impersonation under the Penal Code.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
CAL.Regulation

California extends emergency rent-gouging limits to all rental housing and narrows landlord exemptions

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1365 on September 30, 2026, amending Penal Code section 396. From January 1, 2027, the emergency price-gouging ban covers rental housing regardless of initial lease length, and existing exemptions become affirmative defenses. Rent increases above 10% are defensible for repair costs only if incurred within a year before the emergency, while the unit was rented or offered for rent or intended for rent within six months.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
CAL.Regulation

California lets courts refer incompetent misdemeanor defendants to conservatorship on their own finding of grave disability

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1401 on September 30, 2026, amending Penal Code sections 1370 and 1370.01. From January 1, 2027, a court may refer a misdemeanor defendant found incompetent to county conservatorship if the court itself finds the defendant appears gravely disabled, not only on an expert's opinion. County behavioral health agencies may report confidential medical information to the court to determine eligibility for services.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
DEL.Regulation

Delaware governor signs SB 249 creating licensed harm reduction program framework

Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed Senate Bill 249 on September 30, 2026, as 85 Del. Laws ch. 536, effective on signing. It adds Chapter 48 to Title 16, letting the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health license harm reduction programs under evidence-based regulations. Programs must offer sterile supplies, drug-checking equipment, opioid antagonists and disease screening, and personal possession of drug paraphernalia is decriminalized.

Enrolled text (Delaware General Assembly) → · State of Delaware News
FLA.Regulation

Florida Cabinet approves designating CAIR, antifa and Muslim Brotherhood as domestic terrorist organizations

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Sept. 29, 2026, approved the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, including CAIR-Florida, antifa and the Muslim Brotherhood as domestic terrorist organizations under HB 1471, Chapter 2026-28. CAIR's lawyers, including the ACLU, said they would seek an emergency order to stop the designations, which they said take effect Nov. 5.

Text (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) → · The Florida Senate, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida
CAL.Regulation

California makes repeat DUI convictions wobblers carrying up to three years and tightens Good Driver discount eligibility

Governor Newsom signed AB 1546 on September 25, 2026. The act makes repeat DUI convictions wobblers: a DUI within 10 years of two or three prior violations is punishable by 120 days to one year in county jail, or by 16 months, two, or three years under Penal Code section 1170(h), plus fines of $390 to $1,000. With four or more prior violations in 10 years, the offense is a straight felony. The act also amends Good Driver Discount eligibility.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Governor of California
CAL.Regulation

California imposes 3-to-5-year prison terms for hit-and-run drivers with prior DUIs and mandates Watson advisements on pled-down charges

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 907 (Braun's Law) on September 25, 2026. The act amends Vehicle Code sections 20001 and 23635. A hit-and-run driver whose crash kills or seriously injures someone faces three-, four-, or five-year state prison terms when the offense occurred within 10 years of a prior DUI-related conviction. Courts must give the Watson murder advisement when a DUI allegation is dismissed or pled down to a lesser offense. The non-urgency statute takes effect January 1, 2027.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Governor of California, CapitolTrack
CAL.Regulation

California creates 100-foot buffer zone around houses of worship

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2664 on September 25, adding Penal Code section 594.38, which bars anyone within 100 feet of a house of worship's entrance from intentionally approaching within 8 feet of a person entering or exiting to pass leaflets, display signs, protest, or harass. A first violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 or six months in jail; repeat violations carry up to $5,000 or one year.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor of California
CAL.Regulation

California lets up to three tribes' officers serve as state peace officers under DOJ oversight

California enacted AB 31 (Ramos), creating a Tribal Police Program under the Department of Justice and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Up to three federally recognized tribes may enroll; officers who complete state peace-officer training are deemed peace officers. Participating tribes must enact tribal laws mirroring state public-records and claims rules, waive sovereign immunity for program suits, and accept Attorney General oversight. Governor Newsom signed the bill on September 25, 2026; it takes effect January 1, 2027.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Governor of California
UK · EWHCCourt order

High Court dismisses Sex Matters challenge to CPS deception-as-to-sex guidance

The Divisional Court on September 25, 2026 dismissed Sex Matters’ judicial review of CPS guidance on deception as to sex in sexual-offence charging. Dame Victoria Sharp P and Mrs Justice Heather Williams held deception as to gender identity is not incapable of vitiating consent under section 74 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and that the draft guidance did not misstate the law, while criticising a trans/non-binary experiences passage as surprising in charging guidance.

Order (Find Case Law (National Archives)) → · Judiciary of England and Wales, Solicitors Journal
HENNEPIN CNTY. DIST. CT.Court order

Minnesota Attorney General settles False Claims Act suit against Partners in Nutrition for $18.5 million

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a civil False Claims Act lawsuit and concurrent settlement in Hennepin County District Court on Thursday against child nutrition program sponsor Partners in Nutrition. The agreement resolved allegations that the nonprofit submitted fraudulent meal reimbursement claims to the Minnesota Department of Education between October 2020 and February 2022. Partners in Nutrition agreed to pay $18,517,909.27, representing its entire remaining funds, produce internal records to investigators, and permanently dissolve as a corporate entity.

Order (District Court of Minnesota, Fourth Judicial District) → · Minnesota Attorney General's Office, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, Sahan Journal
CAL.Regulation

California requires body-worn camera policies to add a patient-footage redaction procedure by July 2027

SB 691 (Chapter 416), approved September 20, added subdivision (c) to Penal Code Section 832.18, requiring every law enforcement agency with a body-worn camera policy to add, by July 1, 2027, a procedure letting emergency service personnel request redaction — before any public release — of recordings showing a patient receiving medical or psychological evaluation, procedure, or treatment. Redaction may include blurring patient care and muting audio.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Governor of California
UKRegulation

UK rolls out specialist rape courtrooms across every Crown Court in England and Wales

The Ministry of Justice said on September 21, 2026 that every Crown Court in England and Wales will receive at least one courtroom configured for rape and serious sexual offence cases within two years, with private entrances and waiting rooms, trauma-informed staff training, and priority listing. The package includes a Rape Justice Taskforce; Bar Council chair Kirsty Brimelow KC said the scheme should also cover domestic abuse cases, the Law Gazette reported.

Text (The Guardian) → · BBC News, GOV.UK / Ministry of Justice, Law Gazette
CAL.Regulation

California permanently requires bars to offer drink-spiking test kits

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1982 on September 20, 2026, removing the January 2027 sunset on California's bar drink-safety law. Type 48 on-sale general public premises must continue offering drug-testing devices for sale at near-wholesale cost, keep them unexpired, and post one of two prescribed notices about drink lids and test kits. Violations are not crimes, and licensees are not liable for defective or inaccurate test results.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) →
CAL.Regulation

California extends criminal-history access to county counsel and red light abatement actions

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2001 (Chapter 378, Statutes of 2026) on September 20, 2026, amending Penal Code section 11105. From January 1, 2027, the Attorney General must furnish state summary criminal history information to city attorneys and county counsel pursuing red light abatement actions, alongside listed actions such as gang injunctions, drug abatement, illegal cannabis, substandard housing and gun violence restraining orders. The Attorney General may also furnish the information to tribal peace officers in other states.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) →
CAL.Regulation

California requires one-day notice to state officials of law-enforcement probes into election records

Governor Newsom signed AB 1664 (Chapter 336) on September 19, 2026, as an urgency statute effective immediately. New Elections Code Section 23 requires a local agency, political subdivision or elections official to notify the Secretary of State and Attorney General within one calendar day of learning of a warrant, subpoena or law-enforcement investigation involving election records or certified voting technology. Either official may intervene in court to challenge it. The section is repealed January 1, 2030.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) →
CAL.Regulation

California bans public sale of large nitrous oxide containers

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 936 (Chapter 317, Statutes of 2026) on September 18, 2026, adding Chapter 10 to Part 15 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code. From January 1, 2027, no one may sell or distribute nitrous oxide containers holding more than eight grams or allowing direct inhalation, food-flavoured nitrous oxide, or inhalation devices, subject to medical, dental, culinary, automotive and manufacturing exemptions. Violations are infractions fined $500 to $2,000, with license suspension for repeat offenders.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) →
U.S. FEDRegulation

Trump signs Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act directing national BOP assault standards

President Donald Trump signed the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act (S. 307) into law on September 16, 2026. The law requires the Bureau of Prisons to fully implement within 90 days the recommendations from a 2023 Justice Department inspector general report on inmate sexual harassment and assault of staff. It then directs the inspector general to analyze fiscal 2022–2025 incident data and the attorney general to issue national prevention, reduction, and punishment standards by rule.

Enrolled text (GovInfo (enrolled bill text)) → · The White House
N.Y.Ethics opinion

New York bar says public defender's personal conflict not imputed within government office

The New York State Bar Association's Committee on Professional Ethics said in Opinion 1300, dated 31 August 2026, that a public defender office that is a government office is governed by Rule 1.11, not Rule 1.10. The committee said a conflict under Rule 1.7(a)(2) based on a lawyer's personal interest in a relative heading a county agency would not be imputed to other lawyers in the office.

Opinion (New York State Bar Association) →