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Court levels: 3
Trial courts: 58—one in each county
Court of Appeal districts: 6
Highest court: California Supreme Court
Judicial branch budget is 1.5% of State General Fund
The California court system—the largest in the nation, with approximately 1,800 justices and judges and 5 million cases—serves more than 39 million people. The state Constitution vests the judicial power of California in the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and superior courts.
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California Courts
Court levels: 3
Superior, also known as trial courts: 58—one in each county
Court of Appeal districts: 6
Highest court: California Supreme Court
Judicial branch budget is 1.5% of State General Fund
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The Judicial Council supports the court facilities of California's Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and trial courts by providing a broad range of services: facility planning, design and construction, facility operations management, environmental compliance and sustainability, real estate services and asset management, and emergency planning and security coordination.
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Justices: 1 Chief Justice, 6 Associate Justices
Filings: 6,522 in fiscal year 2020-21
59 written opinions in fiscal year 2020-21
More data points in the Court Statistics Report
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Six districts, 19 divisions, 9 court locations
Number of authorized justices: 106
Number of filings: 15,781 in fiscal year 2020-21
More data points in the Court Statistics Report
The California Courts of Appeal are the state's intermediate courts of review. Their primary function is to ensure that the law is interpreted and applied correctly.
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Fiscal Year 2020-2021:
Unified court system serving more than 39 million people
1,778 judges (authorized positions)
Approximately 450 court facilities
Filings: ≈ 4,500,000
Dispositions: ≈ 3,000,000
More data points in the Court Statistics Report
Historic Facts
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Languages and dialects spoken in California—more than 200
Percentage of Californians that speak a non-English language at home: 44%
Percentage of Californians with English-language limitations: approximately 19% (more than 7 million)
Languages certified for court interpreters: American Sign Language and 15 spoken languages—Arabic, Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese
Spanish remains the most interpreted language in courtroom
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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
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Jury pay: $15/day starting with second day of service and 34 cents per mile, one way
Number of Californians summoned to jury service in fiscal year 2019–20: approximately 9 million*
Number of Californians summoned to jury service who completed service in fiscal year 2019–20: approximately 4 million*
Number of Californians sworn in to serve as jurors in fiscal year 2019–20: approximately 94,000*
* Numbers are based on data for fiscal year 2019–20, with 56 of the 58 (97%) superior courts reporting
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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
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The Judicial Council continues to closely monitor the evolving COVID-19 situation. 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.
The latest statewide judicial branch actions are updated here. For details about local court operations, visit the court's website using the Find My Court tool.
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The table below shows emergency orders that have been signed by the Chief Justice. Additional emergency orders will be added once they become available.