Full Notification

Due to the immediate and ongoing impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on California’s judicial branch, and at the request of Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, Chair of the Judicial Council, the chairs of the Judicial Council’s six internal committees recommend that the Judicial Council adopt rules of court to: suspend the entry of defaults in unlawful detainer actions; suspend judicial foreclosures; provide for remote appearance via technology; adopt a statewide emergency bail schedule that sets bail at $0 for most misdemeanor and lower-level felony offenses; provide for personal appearance through counsel for defendants in pretrial criminal proceedings; prioritize for juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency proceedings various hearing and orders and set a structure for remote hearings and continuances; extend the timeframes for specified temporary restraining orders; and adopt miscellaneous civil proposals, including suspending the statutes of limitations governing civil actions. The Judicial Council should take these temporary actions in order to protect the health and safety of the public, court employees, attorneys, litigants, and judicial officers, as well as staff and inmates in detention facilities, and law enforcement during the state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

On March 20, 2020 Governor Newsom issued a statewide shelter in place order1 with limited exceptions for emergency services. Adults over the age of 65 and persons of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk and required to stay home. In addition, several counties have issued local shelter in place orders that are more restrictive than the statewide order issued by the Governor. Courts are currently operating with greatly reduced numbers of staff and judicial officers. The courts’ workforce continues to diminish weekly as staff and judicial officers are overtaxed and risking their health. As a result, the courts must responsibly, carefully, stringently and strategically determine which urgent court services take priority. Thus far, the efforts of the judicial branch have been to balance the access to justice for critical and vulnerable populations of people, while ensuring the health and safety of the public we serve and those in the courts. During this time, it is critical to balance the demands on the courts and concerns for the public, including the need to extend time to permit the courts to establish remote technology for those who wish to use it.

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