(Subscription required) The high court without comment denied a petition by Quinn Emanuel to overturn a Second District Court of Appeal opinion that found county leaders never approved the firm’s proposed billing rates of up to $1,400 an hour.

The dispute centers around the state’s determination of each local agencies’ outdoor water budget, basing it on how much land is irrigated rather than how much land could be irrigated. The lawsuit reflects a conflict that is central to the tension between state regulations and local water agencies.

The court has a planned outage for some services starting at the close of business Wednesday as it adds criminal case dockets to its online offerings — a significant modernization. Access is expected to be restored by Tuesday, following the holiday weekend.

Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held yesterday that a convicted murderer’s rights were violated by an undercover operation in which he confessed to law enforcement agents, posing as fellow inmates, after he invoked his right to counsel and had his jailhouse conversation interrupted by a known officer who falsely told the defendant that he was about to face charges for the killing based on an eyewitness identification.