Six things you should know about California's federal courts in 2025

Sharon Bernstein, The Sacramento Bee on Dec 30, 2025

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Whether weighing accusations of fraud and corruption, tackling the rancorous divide between the Trump administration and Gov. Gavin Newsom, or exposing problems that plague the legal system, federal courts in California were busy in 2025, providing a window into the issues and personalities that shape our region and our country.

Here is our primer on the biggest stories to emerge from federal courts in Northern California and the Sacramento region this year.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff arrested in FBI public corruption probe

Dana Williamson, former chief of staff to Newsom and a powerhouse among political aides and lobbyists, was arrested on Nov. 12 and charged with 23 federal counts of bank and wire fraud, filing false tax returns and obstruction of justice. Several of the charges were made in connection with a scheme to funnel money from a campaign account connected to longtime California politician Xavier Becerra to benefit his former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie. Both McCluskie and lobbyist Greg Campbell have pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme.

Federal defendants in Sacramento walked free. The reason: No paid lawyers

In at least eight cases in federal court in Sacramento, judges ruled that defendants’ constitutional rights were violated after the U.S. government stopped paying court-appointed lawyers to represent them. Julian Ortiz, who had faced life in prison for allegedly selling methamphetamine, was released on Dec. 12 after U.S. District Judge John Mendez ruled that without payment, his lawyer could not pay for experts, investigators, translators or others needed to properly research and defend his case. Nationally, about 12,000 private attorneys who rely on the courts to appoint them to represent indigent defendants went without pay for about six months, thanks to the snowballing effect of budget issues, the government shutdown and a computer glitch.

Trump v. Newsom: California defiant as policy differences play out in court

From the price of eggs to the deployment of the National Guard, tensions between the Democratic Governor of California and the Republican President played out in federal court in 2025, offering some wins and some losses to each side.

Early in the year, California’s leaders responded defiantly to a threat by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in public safety grants to states and cities that protected migrants under so-called sanctuary policies. San Francisco and Santa Clara sued to stop the action in a case that was quickly joined by numerous cities throughout the country.

Immigration sweeps lead to hard-fought cases on immigration, National Guard

In June, when violent protests erupted over immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, Trump federalized the California National Guard over Newsom’s objections, prompting the first of several lawsuits over an issue that soon went nationwide.

The very next month, immigration sweeps at a South Sacramento Home Depot led to arrests and protests here. Detention of migrants, sometimes violently, at immigration court in Sacramento was detailed in a case filed in federal court in San Jose. But in another case, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Southern California federal judge’s ruling that immigration stops could not be conducted solely based on someone’s apparent ethnicity or job site.

The state also refused to roll back protections for transgender athletes in schools, prompting yet another lawsuit from the Trump administration.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Kennedy reflects on cases, politics, Sacramento boyhood

Among the personalities who shaped the modern political and court system is Sacramento’s own retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. In a rare interview, the 89-year-old sat down with The Bee to talk about the city he loves, his childhood friendships with future luminaries such as the writer Joan Didion, and court decisions that for decades defined him as an influential swing vote on the court.

Sacramento U.S. attorney fired after questioning immigration raid speaks out

Hours after acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith questioned plans for July’s Sacramento immigration sweep, she was fired, her phone and laptop abruptly turned off, and an email sent to her personal account terminating her years of service as a federal prosecutor. Beckwith, who has since been hired by Newsom’s office, said she was let go about five and a half hours after telling a top-ranking Border Patrol official that her office expected “compliance with court orders and the Constitution.”

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