diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/JavadocWriter.java b/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/JavadocWriter.java
index e27f39b3e..af2f7c806 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/JavadocWriter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/JavadocWriter.java
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ void writeBeginJavadoc() {
     } else {
       output.append("/// ");
       remainingOnLine = JavadocFormatter.MAX_LINE_LENGTH - blockIndent - 4;
+      atStartOfLine = true;
     }
   }
 
@@ -190,7 +191,7 @@ void writeSnippetEnd(SnippetEnd token) {
   }
 
   void writeListOpen(ListOpenTag token) {
-    if (classicJavadoc) {
+    if (classicJavadoc && wroteAnythingSignificant) {
       requestBlankLine();
     }
 
@@ -200,7 +201,9 @@ void writeListOpen(ListOpenTag token) {
     continuingListStack.push(indent);
     postWriteModifiedContinuingListStack.push();
 
-    requestNewline();
+    if (wroteAnythingSignificant) {
+      requestNewline();
+    }
   }
 
   void writeListClose(ListCloseTag token) {
@@ -219,7 +222,9 @@ void writeListClose(ListCloseTag token) {
   }
 
   void writeListItemOpen(ListItemOpenTag token) {
-    requestNewline();
+    if (wroteAnythingSignificant) {
+      requestNewline();
+    }
 
     if (continuingListItemOfInnermostList) {
       continuingListItemOfInnermostList = false;
@@ -260,9 +265,7 @@ void writeParagraphOpen(Token token) {
   }
 
   void writeBlockquoteOpenOrClose(Token token) {
-    if (wroteAnythingSignificant) {
-      requestBlankLine();
-    }
+    requestBlankLineForBlockTag();
 
     writeToken(token);
 
@@ -270,9 +273,7 @@ void writeBlockquoteOpenOrClose(Token token) {
   }
 
   void writePreOpen(PreOpenTag token) {
-    if (wroteAnythingSignificant) {
-      requestBlankLine();
-    }
+    requestBlankLineForBlockTag();
 
     writeToken(token);
   }
@@ -292,9 +293,7 @@ void writeCodeClose(CodeCloseTag token) {
   }
 
   void writeTableOpen(TableOpenTag token) {
-    if (wroteAnythingSignificant) {
-      requestBlankLine();
-    }
+    requestBlankLineForBlockTag();
 
     writeToken(token);
   }
@@ -343,10 +342,8 @@ void writeLiteral(Literal token) {
   }
 
   void writeMarkdownFencedCodeBlock(MarkdownFencedCodeBlock token) {
-    if (wroteAnythingSignificant && !atStartOfLine) {
-      // A reminder that atStartOfLine is still true after `-␣` because it is a StartOfLineToken.
-      requestBlankLine();
-    }
+    // A reminder that atStartOfLine is still true after `-␣` because it is a StartOfLineToken.
+    requestBlankLineForBlockTag();
     flushWhitespace();
     output.append(token.start());
     token
@@ -363,9 +360,7 @@ void writeMarkdownFencedCodeBlock(MarkdownFencedCodeBlock token) {
   }
 
   void writeMarkdownTable(MarkdownTable token) {
-    if (wroteAnythingSignificant && !atStartOfLine) {
-      requestBlankLine();
-    }
+    requestBlankLineForBlockTag();
     flushWhitespace();
     List<String> lines = token.value().lines().toList();
     output.append(lines.get(0));
@@ -385,6 +380,12 @@ private void requestBlankLine() {
     requestWhitespace(BLANK_LINE);
   }
 
+  private void requestBlankLineForBlockTag() {
+    if (wroteAnythingSignificant && !atStartOfLine) {
+      requestBlankLine();
+    }
+  }
+
   private void requestNewline() {
     requestWhitespace(NEWLINE);
   }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/MarkdownPositions.java b/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/MarkdownPositions.java
index 088f5ea58..d413456b5 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/MarkdownPositions.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/javadoc/MarkdownPositions.java
@@ -129,17 +129,17 @@ private boolean visitListItem(ListItem listItem) {
       verify(matcher.lookingAt());
       ListItemOpenTag openToken = new ListItemOpenTag(matcher.group(1));
       addSpan(listItem, openToken, LIST_ITEM_CLOSE_TOKEN);
-      return switch (listItem.getFirstChild()) {
-        case Paragraph paragraph -> {
-          // A ListItem typically contains a Paragraph, but we don't want to visit that Paragraph
-          // because that would lead us to introduce a line break after the list introduction
-          // (the `-` or whatever). So we visit the children and siblings of the Paragraph instead.
-          visitNodeList(paragraph.getFirstChild());
-          visitNodeList(paragraph.getNext());
-          yield true;
-        }
-        default -> false;
-      };
+      Node firstChild = listItem.getFirstChild();
+      // Safely handles null and non-Paragraph children.
+      if (firstChild instanceof Paragraph paragraph) {
+        // A ListItem typically contains a Paragraph, but we don't want to visit that Paragraph
+        // because that would lead us to introduce a line break after the list introduction
+        // (the `-` or whatever). So we visit the children and siblings of the Paragraph instead.
+        visitNodeList(paragraph.getFirstChild());
+        visitNodeList(paragraph.getNext());
+        return true;
+      }
+      return false;
     }
 
     private void visitHeading(Heading heading) {
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/JavadocFormattingTest.java b/core/src/test/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/JavadocFormattingTest.java
index 7083a878d..24c882a0a 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/JavadocFormattingTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/com/google/googlejavaformat/java/JavadocFormattingTest.java
@@ -1940,11 +1940,9 @@ public void markdownLooseLists() {
         /// - item 2
         class Test {}
         """;
-    // TODO: the line break between items should be preserved, and there should not be a blank line
-    //   before the list.
+    // TODO: the line break between items should be preserved.
     String expected =
         """
-        ///
         /// - item 1
         /// - item 2
         class Test {}
@@ -2216,14 +2214,12 @@ public void tableInHtmlListItem() {
         /// </ul>
         class Test {}
         """;
-    // requestBlankLine() in writeTableOpen() inserts a blank line after <li> before <table> when
-    // inside a list item.
+    // TODO(kak): The indentation here is still wrong (`<tr>` and `</table>` should be indented
+    // inside `<li>`). Also the blank line before </ul> should probably not be there?
     String expected =
         """
         /// <ul>
-        ///   <li>
-        ///
-        ///       <table>
+        ///   <li><table>
         /// <tr><td>Foo</td></tr>
         /// </table>
         ///
@@ -2233,6 +2229,20 @@ class Test {}
     doFormatTest(input, expected);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void tableInMarkdownListItem() {
+    assume().that(MARKDOWN_JAVADOC_SUPPORTED).isTrue();
+    String input =
+        """
+        /// - <table>
+        ///   <tr><td>Foo</td></tr>
+        ///   </table>
+        class Test {}
+        """;
+    String expected = input;
+    doFormatTest(input, expected);
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void tableInsideMarkdownListItemAfterText() {
     assume().that(MARKDOWN_JAVADOC_SUPPORTED).isTrue();
@@ -2244,11 +2254,8 @@ public void tableInsideMarkdownListItemAfterText() {
         ///   </table>
         class Test {}
         """;
-    // requestBlankLine() in writeTableOpen() inserts a blank line after item text before <table>
-    // inside the list item.
     String expected =
         """
-        ///
         /// - item text
         ///
         ///   <table>