For nearly a decade, a California town fought to seize its privately owned water utility; now the state Supreme Court has ruled 7-0 against its takeover argument

• The California Supreme Court ruled 7-0, August 24, against the Town of Apple Valley, finding that judges do not have to automatically defer to local governments seeking to take private utilities through eminent domain.
• Writing for the unanimous court, Associate Justice Leondra Kruger rejected Apple Valley's argument that its declaration of public neces