Orange County Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas, who last year dismissed the case because the city hadn't yet implemented any ordinances for its voter ID requirement, took under submission the petitions of the state and of a Huntington Beach resident who sued separately without issuing a decision at the hearing in Santa Ana, California.

(Subscription required) In an admonishment order, the judicial watchdog agency said former San Diego County Superior Court Judge Howard Shore misled attorneys about his censure and, separately, criticized the Legislature and its enactment of the California Racial Justice Act, which allows defendants to challenge charges or convictions linked to racism.

(Subscription required) A California appeals court reversed a district court’s order to keep enough water flowing through the Kern River that fish near the City of Bakersfield would remain healthy, finding the trial judge failed to decide whether the use was “reasonable.”

(Subscription required) The bar's board of trustees said it wants to consider a range of possible remedies for those who took the tech-troubled February bar exam, including a so-called portfolio pathway to licensure.