Title GOV — California Gov. Code

(a) The Judicial Council shall establish judicial training programs for individuals who perform duties in domestic violence or child custody matters, including, but not limited to, judicial officers, referees, commissioners, and if employed by the court, guardians ad litem, custo…

The Judicial Council shall report to the Legislature and the relevant policy committees, on or before January 1, 2025, and each January thereafter, on the trainings for judicial officers provided pursuant to Section 68555. The report shall include both of the following: (a) The t…

The Legislature finds and declares that: (a) Resolution Chapter 179 of the Statutes of 1973 requested the Judicial Council of California to undertake a comprehensive survey of the language needs of California citizens and residents in relation to the judicial process. (b) The Jud…

As used in this article: (a) “Court proceeding” means a civil, criminal, or juvenile proceeding, or a deposition in a civil case filed in a court of record. (b) “Interpreter” does not include an interpreter qualified under Section 754 of the Evidence Code to interpret for deaf or…

(a) Except for good cause as provided in subdivision (c), a person who interprets in a court proceeding using a language designated by the Judicial Council pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 68562 shall be a certified court interpreter, as defined in Section 68566, for the la…

(a) The Judicial Council shall designate the languages for which certification programs shall be established under subdivision (b). The language designations shall be based on (1) the courts’ needs as determined by the language and interpreter use and need studies under Section 6…

The Judicial Council shall conduct a study of language and interpreter use and need in court proceedings, with commentary, and shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature not later than July 1, 1995, and every five years thereafter. The st…

The Judicial Council shall adopt rules and standards to implement this article and shall establish the following: (a) Standards for determining the need for a court interpreter in particular cases. (b) Standards for ensuring a court interpreter’s understanding of the legal and te…

(a) The Judicial Council may establish a court interpreters advisory panel to assist the council in performing its duties under this article. The panel shall include a majority of court interpreters and may include judges and court administrators, members of the bar, and others i…

A natural person who either (1) holds a valid certificate as a certified court interpreter issued by a certification entity approved by the Judicial Council, or (2) until January 1, 1996, is named and maintained on the list of recommended court interpreters previously established…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the Trial Court Delay Reduction Act.

(a) The Judicial Council shall adopt standards of timely disposition for the processing and disposition of civil and criminal actions. The standards shall be guidelines by which the progress of litigation in the superior court of every county may be measured. In establishing thes…

The Judicial Council shall designate the four superior courts with 18 or more judicial positions which, as of June 30, 1986, had the highest ratio per judicial position of at-issue civil cases pending more than one year, and the five superior courts with more than eight judicial …

On and after July 1, 1992, this article shall apply to all actions and proceedings in the superior court in each county, except actions and proceedings subject to subdivision (a) of Section 68608 or subdivision (b) of Section 68609.

In each of the counties in which an exemplary delay reduction program is established, the presiding judge shall, (a) select a sufficient number of judges for the program that will provide, consistent with the size of the court, an adequate basis for determining the effectiveness …

In accordance with this article and consistent with statute, judges shall have the responsibility to eliminate delay in the progress and ultimate resolution of litigation, to assume and maintain control over the pace of litigation, to actively manage the processing of litigation …

No action or proceeding may be removed from a delay reduction program because of a challenge filed under Section 170.6 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(a) Juvenile, probate, and domestic relations cases shall not be assigned to a delay reduction program, and cases which have been assigned to a judge or judges for all purposes based on subject matter need not be assigned to the program. (b) Judges shall have all the powers to im…

(a) The presiding judge of each superior court with an exemplary delay reduction program shall assign a pro rata share of new cases, and an appropriate number of existing cases, to the program, and these cases shall thereafter be handled by the judges of the program for all purpo…

Each court and the Judicial Council, under subdivision (b) of Section 68619, shall adopt rules to allow for the arbitration of cases designated by the court as “Uninsured Motorist” in which an action is filed against a defendant who is an uninsured motorist and the plaintiff’s cl…

The Judicial Council, in conjunction with other interested groups as it determines appropriate, may prepare and administer a program, consistent with the policies and requirements of this article, for the training of judges in administering the delay reduction program.

Judges shall, in consultation with the bar of the county to the maximum extent feasible develop and publish the procedures, standards, and policies which will be used in the program, including time standards for the conclusion of all critical steps in the litigation process, incl…

The Judicial Council may receive and expend on the programs established by this article any funds available from county, state, or federal government or other sources which may be available for such purposes.

Nothing in this article is intended to prevent a presiding judge from directing the use of the methods of delay reduction specified in Section 68607 by judges who are not part of an exemplary delay reduction program. This section shall cease to be operative on July 1, 1992.

In its discretion, the Judicial Council may contract out for performance of any of the duties imposed by this article.

Delay reduction rules shall not require shorter time periods than as follows: (a) Service of the complaint within 60 days after filing. Exceptions, for longer periods of time, (1) may be granted as authorized by local rule, and (2) shall be granted on a showing that service could…

On or before October 30, 2002, the Judicial Council shall submit a report to the Legislature and the Governor regarding the effectiveness of the Centers for Complex Litigation established pursuant to the Budget Act of 1999. The report shall examine, among other things, the number…

(a) The Judicial Council shall review all local delay reduction rules adopted by courts and any revisions or new rules adopted by them and make recommendations to the courts of revisions so that these rules are consistent, to the extent desirable, with other court rules. (b) The …

(a) Each superior court shall establish a delay reduction program for limited civil cases in consultation with the local bar that is consistent with the provisions of this article. In its discretion, the Judicial Council may assist in the development of, or may develop and adopt,…

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) That our legal system cannot provide “equal justice under law” unless all persons have access to the courts without regard to their economic means. California law and court procedures should ensure that court fees are n…

An initial fee waiver shall be granted by the court at any stage of the proceedings at both the appellate and trial court levels if an applicant meets the standards of eligibility and application requirements under Sections 68632 and 68633. An initial fee waiver excuses the appli…

For purposes of this article, a conservatee, ward, or person for whom a conservatorship or guardianship is sought, shall be deemed the “applicant,” and the conservator, guardian, or person or persons seeking to establish the conservatorship or guardianship shall be deemed the “pe…

Permission to proceed without paying court fees and costs because of an applicant’s financial condition shall be granted initially to all of the following persons: (a) An applicant who is receiving public benefits under one or more of the following programs: (1) Supplemental Secu…

(a) An applicant for an initial fee waiver under subdivision (a) of Section 68632 shall complete, under penalty of perjury, a Judicial Council application form requiring the applicant to list his or her current street address, or another address where the court can contact the ap…

(a) This section applies to the processing and determination of fee waiver applications in the trial courts. (b) All applications for an initial fee waiver shall be accepted for filing. If an applicant submits an application without providing all required information to complete …

(a) This section applies to the processing and determination of fee waiver applications in the appellate courts. (b) All completed applications for a fee waiver shall be accepted for filing. If an application is submitted without all required information filled out on the form, t…

(a) This section applies only to waivers of trial court fees. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, a person who is sentenced to the state prison or confined in a county jail shall pay the full amount of the trial court filing fees and costs to the extent provi…

(a) After the court has granted an initial fee waiver in whole or in part, and before final disposition of the case, the person who received the initial fee waiver shall notify the court within five days of any change in financial circumstances that affects his or her ability to …

(a) This section applies only to waivers of trial court fees. (b) (1) If a party whose trial court fees and costs were initially waived is a prevailing party within the meaning of Section 1032 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the judgment or dismissal entered in favor of the party…

(a) The trial court may execute on any order for payment of initially waived fees and costs in the same manner as on a judgment in a civil action. The court may issue an abstract of judgment, a writ of execution, or both, for all of the following: (1) Recovery of the initially wa…

An initial fee waiver shall expire 60 days after the judgment, dismissal, or other final disposition of the case.

The Judicial Council may adopt a rule of court to allow litigants who are not eligible for a fee waiver to pay court fees in installments.

The Judicial Council shall adopt rules and forms to establish uniform procedures to implement this article, including, but not limited to, procedures for all of the following: (a) Considering and determining applications to proceed without paying court fees and costs at every sta…

The Judicial Council shall develop an online tool for adjudicating infraction violations, including ability-to-pay determinations. The Judicial Council shall implement the tool on a phased schedule and shall make this tool available statewide on or before June 30, 2024. A defenda…

For all infraction violations for which a personal appearance is not required, a court may allow defendants to agree to forfeit bail, plead guilty or nolo contendere, request an ability-to-pay determination, or otherwise adjudicate matters through the use of technology. (a) The d…

A defendant’s request for an ability-to-pay determination through the online tool shall not impact their eligibility to attend traffic violator school pursuant to Section 42005 of the Vehicle Code.

(a) By June 30, 2024, every court shall offer online ability-to-pay determinations using the tool developed by the Judicial Council. The following shall apply to ability-to-pay determinations made pursuant to this article: (1) The defendant has the burden of establishing the inab…

(a) A court may allow the online tool to electronically verify through encrypted transmittal whether the defendant receives public benefits, defined as any of the public benefits listed in subdivision (a) of Section 68632, by accessing a statewide, county, or other political subd…

(a) A court may offer trials by declaration through an online tool for all infractions for which a personal appearance is not required. If a court offers online trials pursuant to this section, all of the following shall apply, notwithstanding Section 40902 of the Vehicle Code: (…

(a) No later than February 1, 2022, and annually until February 1, 2025, the Judicial Council shall provide to the Legislature a report including the following information from participating courts that have adopted online ability-to-pay determinations for infraction violations: …