Last weekend saw law students from around the state participate in the 52nd annual — and first remotely conducted — Roger J. Traynor California Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Competition.  (I judged in the initial round.)  Named after the legendary Supreme Court associate and chief justice (see, e.g., here, here, and here), the competition requires advocates to make arguments based on the records from actual Court of Appeal cases.

This year, the competition’s two legal issues included one that has divided the Courts of Appeal, a conflict the Supreme Court is set to resolve in People v. Kopp.  The court granted review in Kopp in November 2019 and limited the issue to, “Must a court consider a defendant’s ability to pay before imposing or executing fines, fees, and assessments?  If so, which party bears the burden of proof regarding defendant’s inability to pay?”  (See also here.)  The case is in the final briefing stage.