Div. Two of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held that a public educational district may be liable for harm occurring off-campus and unrelated to officially sanctioned activities, despite a California law providing immunity for conduct occurring “when [a] pupil is not on school property,” if the plaintiff can point to an on-site negligent act that led to her injuries.

(Subscription required) The Judicial Council on Friday will consider $3.2 billion in trial court funding, a new budget strategy that drops priority rankings and millions of dollars in technology investments.

A federal judge has blocked California’s “Truth in Recycling” law, which would restrict the familiar chasing-arrows symbol to packaging that is actually recycled at meaningful rates. Industry groups hail the ruling as a free-speech victory, while environmental advocates warn it undermines efforts to curb misleading marketing. The fight comes amid sobering data: Less than 10% of single-use plastics are recycled in California, even as millions of tons of waste burden landfills, oceans and taxpayer cleanups.

(Subscription required) California’s Supreme Court on Wednesday approved use of the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam starting in July 2028, officially ending the state’s brief diversion into trying to develop its own unique lawyer-licensing test. Their order directs the state bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners to create a California-specific component to “accompany” the NextGen exam starting with the July 2029 administration.