Sep 3, 2026
California built one of the nation’s toughest systems for stopping abusive self-represented litigants, but it deliberately left one courthouse door far less guarded. In this installment of The Valley Current®, host Jack Russo examines California’s “pro per” rules and the striking divide between civil litigation and cases involving criminal defendants and habeas petitions. On the civil side, vexatious litigants can face security requirements, a statewide blacklist, and pre-filing restrictions designed to protect courts, businesses, and defendants from litigation by attrition. Yet California also builds in important safeguards, including the ability to proceed through counsel and defend against lawsuits. The deeper question for Jack is where judicial self-defense ends and constitutional access begins: how tightly can California lock the courthouse doors without locking out justice itself?
Jack Russo
Managing Partner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackrusso
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