COVID News Center:

Statewide emergency actions and updates on county court services and operations here.

Search results

Feature - April 19, 2017

Court Users Flock to 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.

Online Self-Help Center

Self-Help

Stanislaus

Santa Cruz

Kings

1.2 million unrepresented Californians visit self-help centers each year for help on cases that include divorces, child custody, evictions and restraining orders.

Feature - March 7, 2018

Millions of Californians Without Lawyers Find Help in the Courts

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

Feature - June 27, 2018

What's in the Judicial Branch Budget?

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.

News Release - May 17, 2019

Council Hears How Increase in Funding Helped Courts Expand Services for the Public

The Judicial Council received a report on how the state’s trial courts used additional funding included in this fiscal year’s judicial branch budget to expand hours, reopen closed locations, and invest in new technology to increase access to justice for the public.

Feature - June 30, 2020

What to Know About the Judicial Branch Budget

The budget cuts $200 million from the state court system, though $150 million could be restored if the federal government sends additional aid by the fall.

News Release - July 9, 2021

Council Approves Funding Allocation for Trial Courts

Also hears from pandemic workgroup that remote technology is crucial to providing access to courts

Judicial Council

Meeting information

Judicial Council

Judicial Council Meeting

Budget

Access

Blue on white seal of the judicial council

Feature - July 12, 2021

What to Know About the Judicial Branch Budget

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a budget that includes $1.2 billion in new funding for the judicial branch, including restoring $200 million in previous cuts and making major investments in judicial branch programs improving access to justice.

California's Judicial Branch Budget Process

Chief Justice

Budget

Access

Feature - December 20, 2021

2021 Year in Review: Judicial Council of California

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to challenge the state’s ability to ensure access to justice for the citizens of California. But like the previous year, California’s Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and the Judicial Council supported the courts as they remained flexible and innovative to ensure the justice system was open and vital services remained accessible to the public.