California Owes $1.95 Million to Class That Challenged Bail Law

California must pay $1.95 million to cover the attorneys’ fees of a class that successfully challenged the constitutionality of its mandatory bail law, after the Ninth Circuit said Thursday that sovereign immunity doesn’t shield the state.

The state is liable for the money, even though it never participated in the suit, because the bailees sought to hold a sheriff liable in her official capacity, as she was acting on the state’s behalf when enforcing the law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said.

Two bailees sued the sheriff of the city and county of San Francisco under ...