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At least 31 California counties home to 80 percent of the state's residents have kept COVID-19 emergency bail schedules to help curb the spread of the virus in jails and surrounding communities during the pandemic, according to data from superior courts.

Governor Jerry Brown signed a state budget on Wednesday that will help restore court services slashed during the recession, fund courthouse projects, and improve access to justice for millions of Californians.  

As Californians do more business on mobile devices, the state’s courts are joining in on the trend, from texting court payments to receiving jury service updates.

Facing growing numbers of civil and family law litigants representing themselves, courts are expanding services offered through “self-help” centers.

How are self-help centers being managed with shrinking resources? This newsroom feature takes a look at two very different centers sharing the same challenges.

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye on Tuesday announced a new work group to review progress on reforms to California’s system of pretrial detention and identify next steps to continue work on the issue.

The Judicial Council of California has launched the Pandemic Continuity of Operations Working Group, which will quickly collect best practices and publish a framework to help the state's 58 superior courts restore interrupted services in the wake of the...

Learn more about the Pretrial Detention Reform Workgroup's recommendations, the California bail system and other reform efforts nationwide.

A workgroup established by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye to study California’s bail system issued a slate of recommendations Tuesday, saying money bail should be replaced by a risk-based assessment and supervision program that determines whether to jail defendants before trial based on their threat to public safety and their likelihood of making a court appearance.

SAN FRANCISCO—Martin Hoshino, Administrative Director of the Judicial Council of California, was named to a newly created, national task force charged with addressing the ongoing impact that court fines, fees, and bail practices have on communities—especially the economically disadvantaged—across the United States.

Online tool offers low-income drivers an easy way to request a lower penalty, payment plan, or community service.

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye's statement on signing of SB10.