About the Judicial Branch

The California Judicial Branch consists of the state's courts, the Judicial Council, and the programs and legal processes that ensure justice is served throughout California.

Explore the Judicial Branch of State Government

Contact Information

Judicial Council of California
455 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102-3688
JudicialCouncil@jud.ca.gov
415-865-4200

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Branch Facts

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 the Superior 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 the Courts 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 the Supreme Court.

Key Facts About Each Level of Court

California Supreme Court

  • Highest court
  • Justices: 1 Chief Justice, 6 Associate Justices
  • Filings: 5,991 in fiscal year 2024-25
  • Written Opinions: 51 in fiscal year 2024-25

Courts of Appeal

  • Court of Appeal districts: 6
  • Justices: 106 (authorized positions)
  • Filings: 19,222 in fiscal year 2024-25
  • Dispositions: 22,540 in fiscal year 2024-25

Superior Courts (trial courts)

  • Trial courts: 58—one in each county
  • 1,755 judges (authorized positions)
  • Filings: 5,306,078 in fiscal year 2024-25
  • Dispositions: 3,551,165 in fiscal year 2024-25

Public Access to Justice: Jury Service & Multilingual Services

Jury Service

  • Jury pay: $15/day starting with second day of service; and travel reimbursement of $0.34 cents per mile round trip, starting on the second day of service
    • An option for $12 per day starting on the first day of service if using public transit, in lieu of a mileage reimbursement 
  • Over 10 million jurors were summoned for jury service*
  • Approximately 5 million were qualified and available to serve*
  • Approximately 4 million completed jury service on call or telephone standby*
  • Approximately 1 million completed jury service in person*
  • Approximately 99,000 were sworn in as jurors*

*Numbers are based on fiscal year 2024-25 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.