The California court system is divided into three levels: the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and Superior courts. The Supreme Court is the highest appellate court, consisting of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The Courts of Appeal were created to manage delays and consist of six districts with presiding and associate justices. Superior courts are trial courts that hear both civil and criminal cases and have jurisdiction established by the legislature.

1. California State Court System
The Constitution of the State of California distributes the judicial power of the state
among the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and Trial courts, known as Superior
courts (California, About California Courts, 2011).
The Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the State of California, and consists
of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices (California, About California Courts, 2011) .
The Chief Justice performs the functions of the Chief Justice when the Chief Justice is
absent or unable to participate in a matter. The Chief Justice, pursuant to constitutional
authority selects on a rotational basis an associate justice to serve as Acting Chief Justice
(Cali Const. art. VI, sec II). Superior court judges are elected by county voters in
nonpartisan elections to twelve year terms and must have been an attorney practicing law
in California or have served as a judge in a court of record for at least ten years (Society,
2014). The Supreme Court has the discretion to review decisions of the Courts of Appeal
in order to settle important questions of law and to resolve conflicts among the Courts of
Appeal, in addition to that the court also has mandatory jurisdiction in death penalty
cases, as well as reviewing the recommendations concerning the discipline of judges and
attorneys for misconduct (Hogan, 2007).
The Courts of Appeals which was created by a constitutional amendment in 1904 in an
attempt to manage the delay and congestion in the court system (Hogan, 2007).This Court
is divided into six appellate districts, presiding justices and two or more associate justices
sit in each appellate district or division and three judges panels (California, A visitor's
guide to California Court of Appeals, 2011); in order to be a judge in the Appellate court,
you must also have been an attorney practicing law in California or have served as a
judge in a court of record for at least ten years in which they serve 12 year terms (Society,
2014). The judges have the responsibility of making the decision of publishing new
established laws, if the decision makes a significant contribution to legal literature or if
the case involves a question of continuing controversy (California, A visitor's guide to
California Court of Appeals, 2011). More than 21,894 cases were contested matters and
24,215 dispositions were filed in the courts of appeal during 2011-2012. About 8% of the
decisions met the requirements to be published (Council, 2013). The courts of appeal
have appellate jurisdictions over trial decisions coming from superior courts, such as
challenging confinement, compelling an official duty, review of judicial action and
restraint of action. . The court of appeals also receives appeals from decisions of the
Worker’ Compensation Appeals Board, the Agricultural Labor Relations
Board, and the Public Employment Relations Board (California, A visitor's guide to

2. California Court of Appeals, 2011).
Lastly we have the Trial courts, also known as Superior courts, since 1988 trial courts
consisted
of the superior and municipal courts. The jurisdiction and number of judges in each court w
as established by the legislature. In 1998, voters approved a constitutional amendment per
mitting the judges in each county to merge superior and municipal courts into a single supe
rior court. By 2001, all of California’s fifty-eight counties voted to unify their trial courts.
The superior courts have 1,499 judges and 437 commissioners and referees, in which the
number of judges in each court is established by the legislature (Hogan, 2007). Superior
court judges are required to have been an attorney practicing law in California or have
served as a judge in a court of record for at least ten years (Society, 2014). The Superior
courts have trial jurisdiction over criminal felonies, misdemeanors and traffic. They also
have jurisdiction over civil matters including family
law, probate, juvenile cases, and general civil matters. Appeals are allowed in limited civil
cases (where the controversy involves $25,000 or less).The appellate division of the superi
or court hears appeals in these cases and in misdemeanors (Hogan,
2007). In fiscal year 2011-12 superior courts heard 8.5 million cases (Council, 2013).
The state of California falls under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
and has four Federal District Courts in Los Angeles (the capital), San Diego, San
Francisco and Fresno (courts, 2014).
California Court System Flowchart
Image
(California, California Court Structure, 2014)
Bibliography
California, J. C. (2011). A visitor's guide to California Court of Appeals. Retrieved from
California Courts: Judicial Branch to California Courts:
http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/ctappbro.pdf
California, J. C. (2011). About California Courts. Retrieved from California Courts: A
judicial branch of California: http://www.courts.ca.gov/2113.htm
California, J. C. (2014). California Court Structure. Retrieved from Judicial Council of
California :
http://www.judicialselection.us/uploads/documents/California_1184079734639.pdf

3. Council, C. J. (2013). 2013-Court Statistics Report. Retrieved from California Courts: A
Judicial Branch of California: http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2013-Court-
Statistics-Report-Preface.pdf
courts, A. o. (2014). Geographic Boundaries of US court of appeals and US circuit courts.
Retrieved from US Courts: http://www.uscourts.gov/court_locator.aspx
Hogan, S. (2007). The Judicial branch of State Government: People, Process and Politics.
Santa Barbara, California: ABCCLIO.
Society, A. J. (2014). Methods of Judicial Selection: California. Retrieved from Judicial
Selection:
http://www.judicialselection.us/judicial_selection/methods/selection_of_judges.cfm?
state=CA