The California court system consists of the local superior courts in each of California’s 58 counties, the 6 districts of the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. Following is a summary of how judges and justices get to their positions on these courts.
The table below shows emergency orders that have been signed by the Chief Justice. Additional emergency orders will be added once they become available.
Courts have been advised to follow guidance provided by the Department of Public Health, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit the spread of the virus. Updates will be communicated through local court websites as appropriate.
For details about local court operations, visit the court's website using the Find My Court tool.
Created by constitutional amendment, the council is the policymaking body for California’s state court system
The 21 voting members include the Chief Justice, 14 judicial officers, 4 attorneys, and 1 member from each house of the Legislature
The council also has advisory members who include judicial officers and court executives or administrators
The council carries out much of its work through the hundreds of volunteers on its committees and task forces
Jury pay: $15/day starting with second day of service; and travel reimbursement of 34 cents per mile round trip or $12 per day if using public transit
Number of Californians summoned to jury service in fiscal year 2021–22: approximately 10.6 million*
Number of Californians summoned to jury service who completed service in fiscal year 2021–22: approximately 4.3 million*
Number of Californians sworn in to serve as jurors in fiscal year 2021–22: approximately 76,000*
* Numbers are based on data for fiscal year 2021–22
Collaborative justice courts have a dedicated calendar and judge to address specific types of issues
California currently has more than 400 collaborative justice courts in all but three small jurisdictions
Most drug court caseloads average between 75 and 100 participants while other collaborative courts tend to have smaller caseloads
Collaborative justice courts, also called problem-solving courts, promote accountability for youth and adults by combining judicial supervision with services and treatment to help them address the issues that led to t