CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Appeals Court Judge Target of Complaint

A justice on the state Court of Appeal has been accused of improperly participating in environmental cases while serving as a trustee of the Environmental Defense Fund, a legal advocacy group. The Washington Legal Foundation filed a complaint with the state Judicial Performance Commission charging Justice William A. Newsom Jr. with ethical violations under the California Code of Judicial Conduct. The Foundation did not charge that Newsom had ruled in cases involving the Fund, but noted he had participated in several environmental cases, including a 2-1 ruling last September overturning a decision by state forestry officials to permit Pacific Lumber Co. to cut redwood and fir trees in Humboldt County. Newsom acknowledged serving as a Fund trustee but denied any wrongdoing as a judge.