California rules of court prevent citation to unpublished opinions. The rule is highly controversial as it contributes to non-uniform application of the law.
A. Kozinski and S. Reinhardt, “Please Don’t Cite This!” (June 2000) California Lawyer, 43; R. Arnold, Unpublished Opinions: A Comment (1999) 1 J. App. Prac. & Process 219 (1999); B. Martin, Jr., In Defense of Unpublished Opinions (1999) 60 Ohio St. L.J. 177; C. Carpenter, Jr., The No-Citation Rule for Unpublished Opinions: Do the Ends of Expediency for Overloaded Appellate Courts Justify the Means of Secrecy? (1998) 50 S.C. L. Rev. 235; K. Shuldberg, Digital Influence: Technology and Unpublished Opinions in the Federal Courts of Appeal (1997) 85 Calif. L. Rev. 541; and D. Merritt and J. Brudney, Stalking Secret Law: What Predicts Publication in the United
States Court of Appeals (2001) 54 Vand. L. Rev. 71.