2024 California Rules of Court
Rule 8.622. Certifying the trial record for accuracy
(a) Request for corrections or additions
(1) Within 90 days after the clerk delivers the record to defendant's appellate counsel:
(A) Any party may serve and file a request for corrections or additions to the record. Immaterial typographical errors that cannot conceivably cause confusion are not required to be brought to the court's attention. Items that a party may request to be added to the clerk's transcript include a copy of any exhibit admitted in evidence, refused, or lodged that is a document in paper or electronic form. The requesting party must state the reason that the exhibit needs to be included in the clerk's transcript. Parties may file a joint request for corrections or additions.
(B) Appellate counsel must review all sealed records that they are entitled to access under rule 8.45 and file an application to unseal any such records that counsel determines no longer meet the criteria for sealing specified in rule 2.550(d). Notwithstanding rule 8.46(e), this application must be filed in the trial court and these records may be unsealed on order of the trial court.
(2) A request for additions to the reporter's transcript must state the nature and date of the proceedings and, if known, the identity of the reporter who reported them. A request for an exhibit to be included in the clerk's transcript must specify that exhibit by number or letter.
(3) Unless otherwise ordered by the court, within 10 days after a party serves and files a request for corrections or additions to the record, defendant's appellate counsel and the trial counsel from the prosecutor's office must confer regarding the request and any application to unseal records served on the prosecutor's office.
(4) If the clerk's and reporter's transcripts combined exceed 10,000 pages, the time limits stated in (1), (3), and (b)(4) are extended by 15 days for each 1,000 pages of combined transcript over 10,000 pages.
(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2024; previously amended effective April 25, 2019.)
(b) Correction of the record
(1) If any counsel files a request for corrections or additions, the procedures and time limits of rule 8.619(c)(1)-(5) must be followed.
(2) If any application to unseal a record is filed, the judge must grant or deny the application before certifying the record as accurate.
(3) When the judge is satisfied that all corrections or additions ordered have been made, the judge must certify the record as accurate and redeliver the record to the clerk.
(4) The judge must certify the record as accurate within 30 days after the last request to include additional materials or make corrections is filed.
(Subd (b) amended effective April 25, 2019; previously amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(c) Copies of the record
(1) When the record is certified as accurate, the clerk must promptly notify the reporter to prepare six copies of the reporter's transcript in electronic form and two additional copies in electronic form for each codefendant sentenced to death.
(2) In preparing the copies, the procedures and time limits of rule 8.619(d)(2)-(5) must be followed.
(Subd (c) amended effective April 25, 2019; previously amended effective January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2018.)
(d) Extension of time
(1) The court may extend for good cause any of the periods specified in this rule.
(2) An application to extend the period to request corrections or additions under (a) must be served and filed within that period.
(3) If the court orders an extension of time, the order must specify the justification for the extension. The clerk must promptly send a copy of the order to the Supreme Court.
(4) If the court orders an extension of time, the court may conduct a status conference or require the counsel who requested the extension to file a status report on counsel's progress in reviewing the record.
(Subd (d) amended effective April 25, 2019.)
(e) Sending the certified record
When the record is certified as accurate, the clerk must promptly send:
(1) To the Supreme Court: the corrected original record, including the judge's certificate of accuracy. The reporter's transcript must be in electronic form. The clerk is encouraged to send the clerk's transcript in electronic form if the court is able to do so.
(2) To each defendant's appellate counsel, each defendant's habeas corpus counsel, the Attorney General, the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, and the California Appellate Project in San Francisco: a copy of the order certifying the record and a copy of the reporter's transcript in electronic form.
(3) To the Governor: the copies of the transcripts required by Penal Code section 1218, with copies of any corrected or augmented pages inserted.
(Subd (e) amended effective April 25, 2019; previously amended effective January 1, 2018.)
Rule 8.622 amended effective January 1, 2024; adopted as rule 35.2 effective January 1, 2004; previously amended and renumbered as rule 8.622 effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2018, and April 25, 2019.
Advisory Committee Comment
Rule 8.622 implements Penal Code section 190.8(g).