Court levels: 3
Trial courts: 58—one in each county
Court of Appeal districts: 6
Highest court: California Supreme Court
Judicial branch budget is less than 2% of the 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.
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 less than 2% of the State General Fund
Summary of Cases Accepted and
Related Actions During Week of January 3, 2022
Print PDF
The Supreme Court of California has accepted the following cases. The statement of the issue or issues in each case set out below does not necessarily reflect the view of the court, or define the specific issues that will be addressed by the court.
The table below shows emergency orders that have been signed by the Chief Justice. Additional emergency orders will be added once they become available.
During the pandemic, the Civic Learning Award program took pause to honor individual programs, classes and clubs, and individual Champions of Civics. This was the model for 2021 and 2022 during a time when schools were remote learning, supporting hybrid classrooms, and getting back to campus life full-time.
The Chief Justice visits schools of Excellence. Schools of Distinction and Merit receive visits from judges in their community.
In 2021 and 2022, visits to campus events were canceled due to the uncertainty and unpredictable nature of public health directives.
This year, the Award of Excellence will be presented in September by Chief Justice-Elect Patricia Guerrero. This will give schools time to organize celebrations during Constitution Month, and around Constitution Day (September 17).
Change of venue is the transfer of a legal action from one county to another county for trial. In criminal cases a change of venue is permitted if, for example, the court believes the defendant cannot receive a fair trial in a given county. Reasons for changes of venue include pretrial publicity, bias, political atmosphere, and any other circumstance that the parties believe would prevent them from obtaining a fair trial in the county in which the case was originally filed.
Role of the Judicial Council of California