The California Supreme Court left intact an appellate ruling Wednesday that allowed a state board to discipline a nurse who was caught driving drunk, even though his arrest had nothing to do with his job.

Antonio Sulla, a licensed nurse at a Silicon Valley hospital, attended a party in San Francisco in August 2009 and was heading home to San Jose when he hit the center divider on Highway 101 in San Mateo County. His blood alcohol measured 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit. He pleaded no contest and a judge placed him on probation.