About

The California Judicial Branch website provides information about the state's courts, the Judicial Council, and the programs and legal processes that ensure justice is served throughout California.  Learn more about its history as well.  

About the Courts

California’s court system is the largest in the nation and serves a population of more than 39 million people—about 12 percent of the total U.S. population. The Judicial branch budget is less than 2% of the State General Fund.

  • Most cases in California start in one of the 58 superior courts, or trial courts, handling both civil and criminal cases, such as family, probate, mental health, juvenile, and traffic cases. Learn more about theSuperior Courts.
  • Most cases before the Courts of Appeal involve a review of superior court decisions being contested by a party to the case. The Legislature divided the state geographically into six appellate districts. Learn more about theCourts of Appeal.
  • The state Supreme Court is the highest court and has discretion to review decisions of the Courts of Appeal and consider writ petitions.  The Supreme Court settles questions of law, resolves conflicts among the Courts of Appeal, and must also review the appeal in death penalty cases.  Learn more about theSupreme Court.

Court Facts at a Glance

California Supreme Court

  • Highest court
  • Justices: 1 Chief Justice, 6 Associate Justices
  • Filings: 5490 annually
  • Written Opinions: 56 annually

Courts of Appeal

  • Court of Appeal districts: 6
  • Justices: 106 (authorized positions)
  • Filings: 20,097 annually
  • Dispositions: 22,004 annually

Superior Courts (trial courts)

  • Trial courts: 58—one in each county
  • 1,755 judges (authorized positions)
  • Filings: 4,519,099 annually
  • Dispositions: 2,530,438

Jury Service

  • Jury pay: $15/day starting with second day of service; and travel reimbursement of 34 cents per mile round trip or $12 per day if using public transit 
  • Approximately 10.6 million jurors were summoned for jury service*
  • Approximately 4.3 million were qualified and available to serve*
  • Approximately 76,000 were sworn in as jurors*

*Numbers are based on fiscal year 2021-22 data

Language Access Services

  • 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 17.4% (approximately 7 million)
  • Languages certified for court interpreters: American Sign Language and 15 spoken languages—Arabic, Armenian (Eastern), Armenian (Western), Cantonese, Farsi (Persian of Iran), Japanese, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese
  • The top 10 most interpreted languages in courtroom proceedings statewide: Spanish (91%), followed by American Sign Language, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Arabic, Farsi, and Tagalog.