The Judicial Council of California is the rule-making arm of the
California court system. In accordance with the California Constitution and under the leadership of the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the judiciary of California, courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly ...
, the council is responsible for "ensuring the consistent, independent, impartial, and accessible administration of justice." It was created by an amendment to article VI of the
California Constitution in 1926.
Rules
The
California Rules of Court are rules adopted by the Judicial Council. Every court may also make local rules for its own government and the government of its officers not inconsistent with law or with the rules adopted and prescribed by the Judicial Council.
California law
The law of California consists of several levels, including Constitutional law, constitutional, Statutory law, statutory, and regulatory law, as well as case law. The California Codes form the general statutory law, and most state agency regulat ...
encourages the Judicial Council to provide for uniformity in rules and procedures throughout all courts on the form of papers, limitations on the filing of papers, rules relating to law and motion, and requirements concerning documents to be filed at or prior to trial.
California Government Code
The California Codes are 29 legal codes enacted by the California State Legislature, which, alongside uncodified acts, form the general statutory law of California. The official codes are maintained by the California Office of Legislative Counsel ...
ยง 68070 One of the Judicial Council's most well-known functions is promulgating a huge number of standard court forms for use in California judicial proceedings, such as Form TR-130, the standard "Notice to Appear" form used by practically all California law enforcement agencies to write traffic citations.
Composition
The Judicial Council is composed of 21 voting members:
* The
Chief Justice
* 14 judicial officers appointed by the Chief Justice (1 associate justice of the Supreme Court, 3 justices of the
Courts of Appeal, 10
trial court
A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually heard by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). ...
judges)
* 4 attorney members appointed by the
State Bar Board of Trustees
A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency.
The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
* 1 member from each house of the
Legislature
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...
The California Constitution requires that the council also have two non-voting members who are court administrators. The Administrative Director is a non-voting member who serves as Secretary, and the Chief Justice can also appoint further advisory (non-voting) members.
Staff
The Judicial Council's staff of approximately 800 is responsible for implementing council policies and supporting the day-to-day operations of the Supreme Court, the courts of appeal, and the superior courts.
The staff maintains a headquarters office in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
where the Judicial Council regularly meets, as well as a branch in
Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
. The staff has also created a centralized datacenter for the court system, the California Court Technology Center, which is operated under contract by
Siemens IT Solutions and Services in
Newark.
See also
*
California Court Case Management System
*
Judiciary of California
*
Judicial Conference of the United States
*
Council of the judiciary (for similar bodies in other jurisdictions)
*
Judicial Council (disambiguation page)
References
External links
Official website
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California law
California state courts
Courts and tribunals established in 1926
1926 establishments in California
Court administration