The California court structure has three levels: 58 superior courts (one in every county) where cases are filed and tried, six Courts of Appeal that review those decisions for legal error, and a single Supreme Court of California that has the final word on state law. Article VI of the California Constitution sets up this hierarchy, and nearly every case — civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, or traffic — enters at the superior court level and only moves upward if someone appeals.
Superior Courts: Where Your Case Starts
Article VI, Section 4 of the California Constitution requires a superior court in every county, which produces 58 trial courts statewide.1Justia. California Constitution Article VI – Judicial – Section 4 These are the only courts in the state where witnesses testify, juries weigh evidence, and judges make the initial factual findings. If you are suing someone, being prosecuted, divorcing, settling an estate, or fighting a ticket, your case begins here.
Superior courts have general jurisdiction, so the subject matter is broad. Civil departments handle contract disputes and personal injury suits. Criminal divisions take misdemeanors and felonies. Family law covers divorce, custody, and support. Probate oversees wills, estates, and conservatorships. Juvenile divisions handle delinquency and dependency matters involving minors. Traffic divisions process infractions like speeding without a full trial.
Limited and Unlimited Civil Cases
Civil matters split into two tracks based on the money at stake. A limited civil case involves $35,000 or less and runs on simplified procedures with shorter timelines and tighter discovery. An unlimited civil case involves anything above that amount and follows the full litigation process. Which track your case lands on affects almost every procedural rule that follows, from how much discovery you can take to how a judgment can be challenged.
Small Claims
Small claims is a division within the superior court built for people to handle disputes without a lawyer. Individuals can sue for up to $12,500. Businesses are capped at $6,250.2California Courts. Small Claims in California You can consult an attorney before your hearing, but no lawyer is permitted to represent either side in the courtroom itself. The rules are intentionally informal.3California Courts. Deciding Between Small Claims and Limited Civil
Appellate Division of the Superior Court
Each superior court contains its own appellate division, created by the same constitutional provision that establishes the trial courts.1Justia. California Constitution Article VI – Judicial – Section 4 This division hears appeals from limited civil cases, misdemeanor convictions, and infractions. The Chief Justice assigns judges to those panels. Appeals from unlimited civil judgments and felony convictions skip this step and go straight to the Courts of Appeal.
Courts of Appeal: The Middle Tier
If a party believes the trial court made a legal error, the next stop is one of six appellate districts. Article VI, Section 3 directs the Legislature to divide the state into these districts, each covering a defined region.4Justia. California Constitution Article VI – Judicial – Section 3
- First District — San Francisco, serving much of the Bay Area and the North Coast.
- Second District — Los Angeles, also covering Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.
- Third District — Sacramento, covering a large part of the Central Valley and the northeastern counties.
- Fourth District — San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial counties.
- Fifth District — Fresno, serving the southern Central Valley.
- Sixth District — San Jose, covering Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito.
Each case is heard by a panel of three justices.4Justia. California Constitution Article VI – Judicial – Section 3 They do not take new testimony or admit new evidence. They work from the written record — trial transcripts, exhibits admitted below, and briefs from both sides. Oral argument lets the attorneys clarify their positions, but the question is always whether the trial court applied the law correctly, not whether a different fact-finder would have reached a different verdict.
Appeal Deadlines
The deadlines are strict and no court can extend them once they have passed. In most civil cases, you must file a notice of appeal within 60 days after you are served with a “Notice of Entry” of judgment. If no one serves that notice, there is still an outer limit of 180 days from the date judgment was entered. In criminal cases, the deadline is typically 60 days after judgment is rendered. Track the date your judgment was entered from day one; waiting for someone else to remind you is how appeals get lost.
The Supreme Court of California
The state’s highest court consists of the Chief Justice and six associate justices, as set out in Article VI, Section 2.4Justia. California Constitution Article VI – Judicial – Section 3 Its decisions bind every other court in the state. When the six appellate districts reach conflicting conclusions on the same legal question, the Supreme Court resolves the split.
Most cases get there through a petition for review filed after a loss at the Court of Appeal. That petition must be filed within 10 days after the Court of Appeal decision becomes final. The deadline cannot be extended, though the Chief Justice has limited power to excuse a late filing if the court’s own window for ordering review has not yet closed. The justices grant only a small share of petitions, focusing on cases that raise significant legal questions with reach beyond the parties.
Automatic Death Penalty Review
One class of case bypasses the Courts of Appeal entirely. Under Article VI, Section 11, the Supreme Court has direct appellate jurisdiction over every case in which a death sentence has been imposed.5Justia. California Constitution Article VI – Judicial – Section 11 These appeals go straight from the trial court to the Supreme Court. The justices review the full trial record, defense counsel briefs claimed errors, the Attorney General responds, and the court issues a written opinion affirming or reversing the conviction, the sentence, or both.6California Department of Justice. A Victims Guide to the Capital Case Process
Specialized Calendars Within the Superior Courts
California operates more than 400 collaborative justice courts across nearly every jurisdiction.7California Courts Newsroom. Collaborative Justice Courts These are not a separate tier. They are specialized calendars inside the superior courts that pair judicial supervision with treatment and services, aimed at addressing what brought someone into the system in the first place.
The most common types include adult drug courts (97 statewide), mental health courts (61), veterans treatment courts (47), dependency drug courts (32), DUI courts (20), homeless courts (19), and reentry courts (18).7California Courts Newsroom. Collaborative Justice Courts Each runs with a dedicated judge and a team that generally includes prosecutors, defense attorneys, case managers, and probation officers working toward the same outcome rather than against each other. Eligibility varies by county, so if you think you qualify for one of these calendars, raise it with your defense attorney rather than calling the court.
Who Runs the System and How Judges Are Chosen
The Judicial Council of California, established by Article VI, Section 6, is the administrative body for the entire branch. The Chief Justice chairs it. Its central job is adopting the California Rules of Court, which standardize procedure across all 58 counties so attorneys and litigants encounter consistent requirements wherever a case is filed.8Justia. California Constitution Article VI – Judicial – Section 6 It also surveys judicial business, makes annual recommendations to the Governor and Legislature, allocates branch funding, and oversees statewide initiatives such as language access.
Selection methods differ by tier. Superior court judges serve six-year terms and are elected within their county on a nonpartisan ballot. A candidate must have been a California-licensed attorney, or a California judge, for at least 10 years immediately before election or appointment.9California Courts Newsroom. Judicial Selection – How California Chooses Its Judges and Justices Mid-term vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment, with the appointee then standing for election.
Justices on the Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, made up of the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and the senior presiding justice of the affected appellate district.9California Courts Newsroom. Judicial Selection – How California Chooses Its Judges and Justices After confirmation they serve 12-year terms and face retention elections, not contested races. Voters answer yes or no on whether a justice should continue; no challenger appears on the ballot. These elections run alongside gubernatorial elections every four years.