There’s not much to write about regarding today’s Supreme Court conference, the last one of the year. A couple of weeks ago, the court ruled on 164 matters; today, just 53 rulings, seven less than last year’s final conference. There were no straight grants or much of anything else of note, other than:
COVID criminal trial. The court declined to review People v. Molina. A Fourth District, Division Three, Court of Appeal published opinion affirmed various convictions for the defendant’s molestation of his girlfriend’s six-year-old daughter. The trial began in June 2021, “well into the COVID-19 pandemic,” and the superior court followed several safety protocols. Division Three rejected the defendant’s claims that his trial wasn’t fair because of masking and social distancing requirements, particularly jurors being masked during voir dire, allowing some jurors to continue to wear face masks and sit outside the jury box during trial even after masking requirements were lifted, and requiring defendant to wear a face mask on the first morning of trial. Agreeing with state and federal decisions, the appellate court concluded that any limited detriment from the masking requirements “was justified by the state’s compelling need to protect the health and safety of courtroom participants from a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus.”
Criminal case grant-and-hold. There was only one criminal case grant-and-hold. It’s another one waiting for a decision in People v. Lynch (see here).