The California Supreme Court will hear oral argument on October 7, 2026, in
Bring Back the Kern, et al. v. City of Bakersfield (Case No. S290840), a case that will determine how one of California’s oldest environmental water statutes, Fish and Game Code section 5937, is enforced statewide.
The case has drawn amicus participation from a broad range of interests, including the California Attorney General and Department of Fish and Wildlife, agricultural and municipal water associations, environmental and fishing advocacy organizations, and legal scholars, reflecting the decision’s likely impact well beyond the Kern River on how California’s water-rights framework interacts with statutory environmental protections statewide.
