California Supreme Court Rulings

Security guards at schools may stop and question students as long as the detentions are not arbitrary or intended to harass, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously Monday. The ruling will substantially broaden the power of security guards to detain students, legal experts said. It comes at a time of increasing efforts by civil libertarians to curb searches of students by security guards and attempts by schools to identify troublemakers and prevent violence.

The state Supreme Court this week refused to dismiss a lawsuit contending that privately owned toll lanes on the Riverside Freeway were built illegally and should be opened to all drivers. The suit, filed by Riverside County in March, alleges that the California Department of Transportation broke the law when it allowed the 10-mile tollway to be built on the freeway--land the county says should be reserved for the public. Caltrans and California Private Transportation Co.

The state Supreme Court this week refused to dismiss a lawsuit contending that the privately owned toll lanes on the Riverside Freeway were built illegally and should be opened to all drivers. The suit, filed by Riverside County in March, alleges that Caltrans broke the law when it allowed the 10-mile tollway to be built on the freeway--land the county says should be reserved for public use. Caltrans and the California Private Transportation Co.

Family members may not withdraw feeding tubes from conscious but severely brain-damaged loved ones unless they clearly show that the patient would have wanted to die, the California Supreme Court held Thursday. The unanimous ruling was a blow to the right-to-die movement and a defeat for the California Medical Assn. It will probably affect thousands of patients, including Alzheimer's and stroke victims, who are conscious but unable to communicate their wishes.

Gun makers cannot be held responsible when their products are used to commit crimes, the California Supreme Court decided Monday. Ruling in the case of a 1993 shooting rampage at a San Francisco office tower, the court overturned an appellate decision that would have opened the way for victims of gun violence to sue manufacturers for the harm their products caused.

Car dealers may refuse to sell vehicles at an advertised price if an honest mistake was made in the advertisement, the California Supreme Court decided Monday. In a 4-2 decision, the state high court overturned a Court of Appeal ruling that said an Orange County dealer should have sold a two-year-old Jaguar for $25,995--more than 30% less than its actual price--because of a newspaper's error in proofreading the dealer's advertisement.

Four of Orange County's smaller cities are considering how to balance their budgets following a state high court ruling that made certain taxes vulnerable to lawsuits. The California Supreme Court ruled last month that local government taxes that were not approved by voters are unconstitutional and open to challenge. As a result, municipalities must either stop collecting the taxes, get voter approval or wait for a lawsuit.

Four of Orange County's smaller cities are pondering how to balance their budgets after a recent state high court ruling that made certain taxes vulnerable to lawsuits. The California Supreme Court ruled last month that local government taxes that were not voter approved are unconstitutional and open to challenge. As a result, municipalities must stop collecting the taxes, get voter approval or wait for a lawsuit.

Someone who hires a contractor to perform dangerous work is not liable if employees covered by workers' compensation insurance are hurt or killed on the job, the California Supreme Court decided Thursday. The court, in a 6-0 vote, said employees or their survivors in such situations can collect only workers' compensation benefits, even if the hirer failed to make sure the contractor was qualified for the work.

Guns that are nearly identical to assault weapons banned in California are legal unless they were outlawed by name or have specific assault weapon characteristics, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Chief Justice Ronald M. George, in a strongly worded dissent, accused the high court's majority of creating a loophole in the state's assault weapons ban that could allow copycat weapons to circulate.