California ferret legalization lawsuit: we may have a ruling next Thursday

For anyone who has been following our lawsuit against the California Fish and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Wildlife, we’re finally getting very close.

Our hearing on the State’s demurrer is scheduled for Friday, October 2 at 11:00 a.m. in Sacramento Superior Court, Department 16B, before Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang.

But we may know a lot more Thursday, October 1 at 2:00 p.m., when the court’s tentative ruling is expected.

Yesterday we also took care of one last issue. I discovered that one case citation in my opposition was incorrect. We filed an errata identifying the mistake and replacing it with the correct California Supreme Court authority. The legal argument itself did not change. Notice of Errata

Our paralegal, Yekta, got the correction uploaded in time.

So at this point, I think we can say:

Everything we could reasonably do has been done.

Not perfect. But pretty darn close.

I’m cautiously optimistic, while also being very aware that predicting what a judge will do is a fool’s game.

If the tentative ruling decides the demurrer, we should have our first answer Thursday afternoon. Depending on the ruling and whether either side requests oral argument, the Friday hearing may or may not be necessary.

After years of trying to get California to actually act on a ferret petition, it feels strange to say this:

October 1 may finally be decision day.

Fingers crossed. Ferrets crossed.