Is an appeal from a judgment of a lower court moot?

" ' "[W]hen, pending an appeal from the judgment of a lower court, and without any fault of the defendant, an event occurs which renders it impossible for [the appellate] court, if it should decide the case in favor of plaintiff, to grant him any effectual relief whatever," ' the appeal is moot." (Californians for an Open Primary v. McPherson (2006) 38 Cal.4th 735, 783 (Californians for an Open Primary).)⁸ However, "if an appeal is technically moot, but 'there may be a recurrence of the same controversy between the parties and the parties have fully litigated the issues,' a reviewing court may

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