In what could be a sign of things to come in other states, the Judicial Council of California recently approved the closure of all state courts on the third Wednesday of each month, from September 2009 through June 2010, in response to the unprecedented statewide fiscal crisis.

According to the Judicial Council of California news release, all California Courts are subject to closure: the superior courts, the Courts of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court. The Administrative Office of the Courts will be closed on the same day as the courts.

The Judicial Council is the policymaking body of the California courts, the largest court system in the nation. Under the court approved plan, court closure days will NOT be counted for purposes of computing time for statutory deadlines . Since the closures will be treated as a holiday, litigants will receive an extra day toward meeting legal deadlines.

While Yolo and Orange counties already began their monthly closure schedule on Wednesday, August 19, the following counties are scheduled to begin their monthly closures starting Wednesday, September 16: Alameda, Kern, Los Angeles, Lake, Monterey, Napa, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Solano.

The court closures are authorized by Government Code section 68106. The closures – part of several Judicial Council actions in response to $414 million in budget reductions for the entire judicial branch – should result in savings of more than $94 million.

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News Release (PDF)

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