People v. Faison CA1/3

DISCUSSION

A case is moot if a court ruling can have no practical effect and would provide no effective relief to the parties. (People v. Armas (2024) 107 Cal.App.5th 350, 353.) Even if an action was originally based on a justiciable controversy, it cannot be maintained on appeal “ ‘ “if all of the questions have become moot by subsequent acts or events. A reversal in such a case would be without practical effect, and the appeal will therefore be dismissed.” ’ ” (Ibid.) Later events have overtaken the trial court’s order committing defendant to DSH and authorizing involuntary medication. He has been declared competent to stand trial and diverted to pretrial mental health treatment, and he is no longer subject to the orders on appeal. No action on our part will provide him effective relief. Nevertheless, defendant asks us to exercise our discretion to decide his appeal because, he asserts, it raises issues of “broad public interest that [are] likely to recur” (In re William M. (1970) 3 Cal.3d 16, 23) and because those issues are likely to evade review due to the short duration of involuntary treatment orders, which are limited to one year (§ 1370, subd. (a)(7)(A)), the length of…