Administrative Law

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Litigation

County of King v. Turner — Agencies Could Not Add Sweeping Conditions to Previously Awarded Grants

automatic / August 25, 2026

The Ninth Circuit largely blocked HUD and DOT from imposing sweeping new policy conditions on previously awarded grants because the agencies lacked congressional authorization.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Litigation

Kinnucan v. NSA — congressional report held by agency remains outside FOIA

automatic / August 24, 2026

A congressional report kept and used internally by the NSA remained outside FOIA because Congress retained control over disclosure.

U.S. Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Election Law

Trump v. California — Supreme Court stays injunction against election order

automatic / August 24, 2026

The Supreme Court stayed an injunction against a federal election executive order while emphasizing that future implementation may still be challenged.

California Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Labor & Employment Law

Mayor v. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board — WCAB cannot toll its own 60-day reconsideration deadline

automatic / August 24, 2026

The California Supreme Court held that the WCAB cannot equitably toll its own statutory 60-day deadline to act on a reconsideration petition.

California Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Litigation, Real Estate Law

Town of Apple Valley v. Apple Valley Ranchos Water — courts independently review utility takeovers

automatic / August 24, 2026

The California Supreme Court held that courts independently weigh challenges to public acquisitions of privately owned utility property.

5th District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Litigation

1 Community Compact v. City of Fresno — Street Renaming Did Not Compel Speech or Exceed City Power

automatic / August 21, 2026

A California Court of Appeal held that Fresno’s street renaming was government speech, did not compel residents to endorse a message, and was a valid exercise of municipal police power.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Litigation

California v. ATF — State and Gun-Safety Group Lacked Standing to Demand Broader Ghost-Gun Regulation

automatic / August 21, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that California and a gun-safety organization lacked standing to challenge an ATF example excluding some unfinished receiver blanks from regulation.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

Pacific Maritime Association v. NLRB — en banc court limits work-preservation defense in union jurisdictional disputes

automatic / August 20, 2026

The en banc Ninth Circuit held that a union cannot use a work-preservation defense to evade the NLRB's allocation of work in a genuine inter-union jurisdictional dispute.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Environmental Law

Center for Biological Diversity v. Bureau of Reclamation — Water-Contract Conversions Required No New Project-Specific Environmental Review

automatic / August 17, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that mandatory WIIN Act water-contract conversions required neither contract-specific NEPA review nor Endangered Species Act consultation.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Healthcare Law

QueerDoc, PLLC v. DOJ — Policy Opposition Alone Does Not Show a Healthcare Subpoena Was Issued in Bad Faith

automatic / August 14, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that political opposition to gender-affirming care alone did not prove DOJ issued an otherwise authorized healthcare subpoena in bad faith.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Immigration

Gonzalez-Argueta v. Blanche — Former-Officer Asylum Claim Fails Nexus Rule

automatic / August 13, 2026

The Ninth Circuit denied review under existing precedent. Because the claimed protected status was being a former officer, the panel treated post-service mistreatment as the relevant nexus evidence; the absence of later threats supported the agency’s finding that the feared harm was not on account of that status.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Immigration, Litigation

Duralev v. United States — FTCA does not cover damages for mistaken federal work-permit denial

automatic / August 11, 2026

The FTCA did not waive sovereign immunity for an allegedly negligent federal work-authorization decision because private actors perform no comparable function.

California Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Litigation, Tax (non-estate)

Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co. v. City of Carson — State claims law preempts extra local tax-refund procedures

automatic / August 10, 2026

California cities may not require taxpayers to complete local refund procedures in addition to the Government Claims Act before suing for a refund.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Insurance Law, Labor & Employment Law

Employers Preferred v. WCAB — Ignoring Payroll-Audit Requests Justified Policy Cancellation

automatic / August 6, 2026

An employer’s repeated failure to provide payroll records constituted failure to permit an audit and supported cancellation of its workers’ compensation policy.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

CHP v. State Personnel Board — one-year suspension upheld despite overtime misconduct

automatic / August 5, 2026

The State Personnel Board acted within its discretion by reducing a CHP officer’s dismissal to a one-year suspension in light of mitigating circumstances.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Environmental Law

Committee for a Better Arvin v. EPA — feasibility cannot dilute Clean Air Act contingency measures

automatic / August 5, 2026

EPA could not read a feasibility exception into the Clean Air Act’s mandatory contingency-measure requirement for the San Joaquin Valley.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Environmental Law

Russian Riverkeeper v. County of Sonoma — Well-permit ordinance survives public-trust review but requires CEQA compliance

automatic / August 4, 2026

Sonoma County adequately considered public-trust impacts when revising its groundwater-well ordinance, but lacked substantial evidence for exempting the revision from CEQA.

4th District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Business Transactions, Environmental Law

Applied Medical Resources Corp. v. PUC — Commission may reject private microgrid tariff proposal

automatic / August 4, 2026

The PUC acted within its broad authority when it adopted utility microgrid tariffs while rejecting a manufacturer's competing proposal.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law

Przybocki v. USDA — Consumers and Food Sellers Can Pursue First Amendment Challenges to FODMAP Label Restrictions

automatic / August 3, 2026

The Ninth Circuit found standing for consumers and food sellers challenging federal restrictions on FODMAP label information.

California Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

L.A. County Employees Retirement Association v. County of Los Angeles — Pension Boards Cannot Unilaterally Set Staff Classifications and Pay

automatic / August 3, 2026

California pension boards control system administration but cannot unilaterally dictate county staff classifications or salaries.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Real Estate Law

New Commune DTLA v. Redondo Beach — Builder’s remedy did not override a certified coastal plan

automatic / July 30, 2026

A proposed housing project in Redondo Beach’s coastal zone could be denied because it conflicted with the city’s Coastal Commission-certified local coastal program.

4th District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Family Law

In re Violet S. — Eligible nonminor dependent keeps extended foster-care jurisdiction

automatic / July 30, 2026

A juvenile court could not terminate jurisdiction over an eligible nonminor dependent merely because another agency also provided lifelong services.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Litigation

AquAlliance v. Vina Groundwater Sustainability Agency — Agency review may precede a court’s sustainability analysis

automatic / July 30, 2026

A trial court properly deferred to the Department of Water Resources and dismissed a duplicative challenge to a groundwater plan’s sustainability evaluation.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Election Law

Ehrenreich v. Weber — California’s presidential write-in elector requirements are facially constitutional

automatic / July 28, 2026

California may require presidential write-in candidates to file a complete slate of elector declarations before votes cast for them will be counted.

California Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association v. Criminal Justice Attorneys Association — PEPRA Caps Leave Cash-Outs Used in Pension Calculations

automatic / July 27, 2026

The California Supreme Court held that crossing calendar years does not allow public employees to count more than one annual leave cash-out limit in a 12-month pension calculation period.