The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a $12 million judgment against a San Diego-based lender accused of conspiring with the now-defunct ITT Technical Institute to create a student-loan program that was purportedly designed to defraud pupils and evade regulators in violation of federal law.

When the justices returned to the bench in October 2021, their approach to oral arguments had undergone a revolution. The aftershocks are still reverberating. The justices allowed live audio of the arguments, letting the public hear what went on in the courtroom in real time from anywhere in the world. They also revised the format of the arguments, adopting an ungainly hybrid that started with a familiar free-for-all barrage of questions and ended with one-by-one queries in order of the justices’ seniority.

(Subscription required) The Commission on Judicial Performance will hear oral argument Oct. 7 in its misconduct case against Los Angeles County Judge Robert S. Draper, who lost reelection in June. The commission filed seven counts against Draper in January, alleging misconduct including bias, improper communications, disclosure of confidential court materials, inappropriate contacts with litigants and colleagues and failure to cooperate with its investigation.

The trial in Oakland, expected to last seven weeks, will test Colorado, Kentucky, California and New Jersey's allegations that ‌Meta designed its platforms to keep young users hooked and misled consumers about their safety. It will also address claims by 29 states that the company illegally collected and used children's data in violation of federal law.