Lawyers argued Friday before a packed courtroom about a controversial asphalt plant proposed for the Petaluma River that was approved by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors despite community opposition over potential environmental effects.

Opponents and supporters of the proposed Dutra Materials asphalt plant south of Petaluma are set to have their date in court Friday. A lawsuit challenging approval of the project, one of the most controversial land-use issues in Sonoma County, will be the focus of a civil court hearing. What should the judge do?

A 20-year-old Windsor man behind a rash of commercial burglaries was the first to be sentenced in Sonoma County under a new state law that requires certain offenders to serve their time in local jails rather than state prison. The law, designed to reduce prison overcrowding, may be the biggest change to the county’s criminal justice system in a generation. Some are concerned that local officials are not equipped to handle hundreds of additional offenders entering the county jail and probation system each year.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s raid on courthouse construction funds to balance the state budget means Sonoma County will likely wait another year before its aging facility is replaced. The county is now looking at 2016 until it gets a new courthouse — and construction could be put off even longer.

Wal-Mart’s expansion of its Rohnert Park store hit a bump Thursday when a Sonoma County judge ruled more work is needed on noise and parking issues.

The state has released a draft environmental review of the proposed new Sonoma County criminal courthouse — a $179 million, six-story building that would be next to the old jail in the county administration complex in Santa Rosa.

A shift in the way interpreters are deployed in Sonoma County’s juvenile court has touched off a dispute between the unionized translators and cost-cutting administrators over how best to serve the growing number of people who don’t speak English.

The proportion of women judges on the Sonoma County Superior Court bench exceeds the state average but minority representation continues to lag, according to a new study. But changes came to Sonoma County’s bench within days of the Judicial Council survey.

Santa Rosa’s City Council has dismissed the case of the new downtown courthouse. Despite appeals from those who said it could boost the downtown economy, the council voted 4-3 on Tuesday not to encourage the state to build its new $180 million criminal courthouse downtown.

The wheels of justice may grind slowly, but state Sen. Noreen Evans thinks she has found a way to make them turn faster. A new law, authored by Evans, allows civil litigants to opt for smaller juries and strict limits on the length of a trial. “This makes the administration of justice more efficient and effective,” the Santa Rosa Democrat said.