(Subscription required) If it wasn't for a part-time job with a civil rights law firm in San Francisco while writing her dissertation, she might have stayed in academia.

A new San Diego Superior Court program launched this month will allow eligible people to request a reduced payment or payment schedule for traffic tickets without having to step foot back inside a courthouse.

Superior Court Judge Kimberlee Lagotta says one aspect of the program is accountability; meaning the person will have a team to help keep them involved in the program if it's needed.

(Subscription required) The appeals court considered the bar's relationship to state government, a key issue in deciding whether the agency could be subject to an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit.