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 h ...
, 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
The Constitution of California ( es, Constitución de California) is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's original c ...
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, statutory, and regulatory law, as well as case law. The California Codes form the general statutory law, and most state agency regulations are available in the Calif ...
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 § 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 made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...
judges)
* 4 attorney members appointed by the State Bar Board of Trustees
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit org ...
* 1 member from each house of the Legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
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.San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
where the Judicial Council regularly meets, as well as a branch in Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. 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
The California Court Case Management System (CCMS) is the court case management system intended for use by the several courts of the judiciary of California, which includes the Supreme Court, 6 Courts of Appeal, and 58 Superior Courts.
Fees
Pu ...
* Judiciary of California
The Judiciary of California or the Judicial Branch of California is defined under the California Constitution as holding the judicial power of the state of California which is vested in the Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal and the Superior C ...
* Judicial Conference of the United States
The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...
* Council of the judiciary
In the European continental judicial tradition, the national councils of the judiciary are institutions that ensure the self-management of the judiciary and the effective delivery of justice, which are autonomous or independent of the executive a ...
(for similar bodies in other jurisdictions)
References
External links
Official website
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California law
California state courts
1926 in law
1926 establishments in California
Court administration