diff --git a/ckan/new_tests/lib/navl/test_validators.py b/ckan/new_tests/lib/navl/test_validators.py
index d4f10f8b2bc..129f3a04ea3 100644
--- a/ckan/new_tests/lib/navl/test_validators.py
+++ b/ckan/new_tests/lib/navl/test_validators.py
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ def test_ignore_missing_with_value_missing(self):
             original_data = copy.deepcopy(data)
             original_errors = copy.deepcopy(errors)
 
-            with nose.tools.assert_raises(df.StopOnError) as context:
-                validators.ignore_missing(key=key, data=data, errors=errors,
-                                          context={})
+            nose.tools.assert_raises(df.StopOnError,
+                                     validators.ignore_missing, key=key,
+                                     data=data, errors=errors, context={})
 
             assert key not in data, ('When given a value of {value} '
                                      'ignore_missing() should remove the item '
diff --git a/ckan/new_tests/logic/action/test_update.py b/ckan/new_tests/logic/action/test_update.py
index 47de201a664..f33641ba3af 100644
--- a/ckan/new_tests/logic/action/test_update.py
+++ b/ckan/new_tests/logic/action/test_update.py
@@ -79,16 +79,16 @@ def test_user_update_with_id_that_does_not_exist(self):
         user_dict = factories.User.attributes()
         user_dict['id'] = "there's no user with this id"
 
-        with nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.NotFound) as context:
-            helpers.call_action('user_update', **user_dict)
+        nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.NotFound, helpers.call_action,
+                                 'user_update', **user_dict)
         # TODO: Could assert the actual error message, not just the exception?
         # (Could also do this with many of the tests below.)
 
     def test_user_update_with_no_id(self):
         user_dict = factories.User.attributes()
         assert 'id' not in user_dict
-        with nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError) as context:
-            helpers.call_action('user_update', **user_dict)
+        nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError, helpers.call_action,
+                                 'user_update', **user_dict)
 
     def test_user_update_with_invalid_name(self):
         user = factories.User()
@@ -97,8 +97,9 @@ def test_user_update_with_invalid_name(self):
                          'a'*200, 'Hi!', )
         for name in invalid_names:
             user['name'] = name
-            with nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError) as context:
-                helpers.call_action('user_update', **user)
+            nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError,
+                                     helpers.call_action, 'user_update',
+                                     **user)
 
     def test_user_update_to_name_that_already_exists(self):
         fred = factories.User(name='fred')
@@ -107,8 +108,8 @@ def test_user_update_to_name_that_already_exists(self):
         # Try to update fred and change his user name to bob, which is already
         # bob's user name
         fred['name'] = bob['name']
-        with nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError) as context:
-            helpers.call_action('user_update', **fred)
+        nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError, helpers.call_action,
+                                 'user_update', **fred)
 
     def test_user_update_password(self):
         '''Test that updating a user's password works successfully.'''
@@ -132,8 +133,8 @@ def test_user_update_with_short_password(self):
         user = factories.User()
 
         user['password'] = 'xxx'  # This password is too short.
-        with nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError) as context:
-            helpers.call_action('user_update', **user)
+        nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError, helpers.call_action,
+                                 'user_update', **user)
 
     def test_user_update_with_empty_password(self):
         '''If an empty password is passed to user_update, nothing should
@@ -158,16 +159,17 @@ def test_user_update_with_null_password(self):
         user = factories.User()
 
         user['password'] = None
-        with nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError) as context:
-            helpers.call_action('user_update', **user)
+        nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError, helpers.call_action,
+                                 'user_update', **user)
 
     def test_user_update_with_invalid_password(self):
         user = factories.User()
 
         for password in (False, -1, 23, 30.7):
             user['password'] = password
-            with nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError) as context:
-                helpers.call_action('user_update', **user)
+            nose.tools.assert_raises(logic.ValidationError,
+                                     helpers.call_action, 'user_update',
+                                     **user)
 
     # TODO: Valid and invalid values for the rest of the user model's fields.
 
diff --git a/ckan/new_tests/logic/test_validators.py b/ckan/new_tests/logic/test_validators.py
index bbc5cb17a79..8293edfadc2 100644
--- a/ckan/new_tests/logic/test_validators.py
+++ b/ckan/new_tests/logic/test_validators.py
@@ -78,8 +78,7 @@ def call_validator(*args, **kwargs):
     '''
     def call_and_assert(*args, **kwargs):
         import ckan.lib.navl.dictization_functions as df
-        with nose.tools.assert_raises(df.Invalid) as context:
-            return function(*args, **kwargs)
+        nose.tools.assert_raises(df.Invalid, function, *args, **kwargs)
     return call_and_assert