California Supreme Court Calls Out Yolo County District Attorney’s Use of Judicial Challenges, Opening Door to Review of Blanket 170.6 Practices

California Supreme Court Calls Out Yolo County District Attorney’s Use of Judicial Challenges, Opening Door to Review of Blanket 170.6 Practices

The California Supreme Court, in its May 28 decision in J.O. v. Superior Court, ruled that judges may now examine allegations that parties are abusing Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6 through bad-faith, blanket disqualification motions. The court specifically cited Yolo County as an example, where prosecutors utilized the statute to remove the county's only Hispanic judge from felony criminal cases, highlighting the dangers posed by such ch…