California Supreme Court: at least they’re honest

Apparently the justices of the California Supreme Court own such a share in oil interests that they can’t fairly hear a case brought by a plaintiff who claims the oil companies’ chemicals injured him. Ridiculous — I can’t believe no procedure exists to hear cases like this, and the justification that an opinion written by a majority of temporary jurists might not have the same precedential weight doesn’t ring true. I don’t know if California recognizes anything like an “unflagging obligation” for its courts to hear appeals, but this definitely sounds like a Constitutional issue for the unlucky petitioner.