(Subscription required) After nearly 30 years as a civil litigator, Judge Douglas K. Mann chose the unfamiliar terrain of probate, where family conflict, self-represented litigants, and difficult questions demand preparation, patience, and a willingness to hear every side. 

A divided Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a plaintiff’s assertion that she was precluded from taking a COVID-19 shot as mandated by her employer, based on her sincere belief as a practicing Catholic that her body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, does not qualify as “religious” under a California employment discrimination law even if the party provided specific Biblical references as support for her assertions.

A Ninth Circuit panel granted a win to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Monday, confirming a lower court’s finding the conversion of water service contracts from the California Central Valley Project doesn’t require a new environmental review. 

The Imperial County District Attorney’s Office has expanded its efforts to recruit and train new prosecutors, welcoming five recent law school graduates into its summer post-bar program while hiring four new paralegals. The post-bar program was established earlier this year as part of the District Attorney’s Office’s efforts to address recruitment and retention challenges faced by prosecutor’s offices in rural areas of California.