Judicial Branch Celebrates First Juneteenth State Holiday

On Monday, June 19, 2023, the judicial branch will join Californians in celebrating Juneteenth as a state holiday for the first time.

Juneteenth became a California state holiday this year, requiring courts be closed in observance of this day as a judicial holiday, through the passage of Assembly Bill 1655. The Judicial Council supported the bill, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Said California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero:

This year, our judicial branch honors this monumental day in our history, reminding us of the long struggle to freedom for Black Americans. To honor that struggle and our commitment to equal treatment under the law, we reaffirm access, fairness, diversity, and inclusion as foundational goals for our court system. We celebrate California’s diversity as a strength and our progress toward a court system that is more diverse and reflective of the communities we serve.”