U.S. Ninth Circuit

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held in Maner v. Dignity Health that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act does not prevent employers from exercising a preference for a female employee over a male employee because of workplace romance—a matter of first impression for the court. With this holding, it joins a majority of Circuit Courts which have rejected the "paramour preference" theory as a basis for sex-discrimination claims.

While homelessness is a problem throughout many parts of California, it is particularly acute in Los Angeles. One LA neighborhood infamous for homelessness is "Skid Row," an area just east of downtown that has been home to many of the city's unhoused since at least the 1930s. The problem of homelessness in LA also hits its Black population hardest. According to Los Angeles County data, Black people in LA County account for 42% of its homeless residents despite only making up 8% of its total population.

For the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, President Biden nominated candidates who, if appointed, would be the first Korean-American woman federal appellate judge, the second Black woman to serve on the Ninth Circuit

In an opinion that made national headlines, U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez early in June held that California's longstanding assault weapons ban was unconstitutional. At the request of California's attorney general, however, Judge Benitez issued a stay of the ruling for 30 days.

To date, people who have attempted to sue social media companies over users' posts have had little success, but that may be about to change. On May 4, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that could open the door for litigants who think social media companies are liable for injuries stemming from user posts. In that case, Lemmon v. Snap, Inc.

President Biden has promised the Department of Justice will issue new regulations regarding ghost guns by May 8. Ghost guns are unregistered gun kits that can be ordered online and then assembled by the buyer. The regulations will also cover related 3D printed guns, the blueprints of which can be downloaded online and used to manufacture firearms that can be very hard to trace.