California Judiciary
and Criminal Justice Systems
  1. Structure of California Courts
    1. Trial Courts are established on a county-by-county basis
      1. Before Prop. 220 (1998)
        1. Municipal Courts
          1. Trial jurisdiction
          2. Special jurisdiction
        2. Superior Courts
          1. Trial jurisdiction
      2. After Prop. 220
      3. Current jurisdiction of L.A. County Superior Court
        1. General Jurisdiction
          • Criminal Court
          • Juvenile Court
          • Family Law Court
          • Mental Health Court
          • Probate Court
          • Civil Court
          • Appellate Department
        2. Limited Jurisdiction (previously Municipal Courts)
          • Lawsuits up to and including $25,000.
          • Misdemeanors and infractions (the lesser crimes)
          • Preliminary hearings 
          • Small claims through $5,000 
      4. Judicial Selection
        1. Six year terms
        2. Nonpartisan elections
        3. Gubernatorial appointments
    2. Appellate Courts
      1. Jurisdiction
        1. Appeals from Superior Court
        2. Six Districts
          1. 1st San Francisco
          2. 2nd Los Angeles and Ventura
          3. 3rd Sacramento
          4. 4th San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Ana
          5. 5th Fresno
          6. 6th San Jose
      2. Judicial Selection
        1. Vacancies
        2. Gubernatorial nomination
        3. Commission on Judicial Appointments
        4. Voter confirmation
        5. 12 year terms
    3. The California State Supreme Court
      1. Jurisdiction
      2. Judicial Selection
        1. same as for appellate courts
        2. current court:

  2. Politics of California Courts
    1. Controversial Court Rulings
      1. Independent state grounds doctrine
      2. Proposition 14 (1964)
      3. 1970 ruling on busing in LAUSD
      4. Serrano v. Priest (1971) ruling on school financing
      5. People v. Anderson (1972) ruling on death penalty
        1. Proposition 17 (1972)
        2. Furman  v. Georgia (1972)
        3. Mandatory Death Sentence Act 1973
        4. Rockwell v. Superior Court (1976)
        5. Senate Bill 155 (1977), vetoed by Gov. Brown
        6. Proposition 7 (1978)
    2. Politicization of Judicial Elections
      1. Voters angered
      2. George Deukmejian and other politicians jumped on the issue
        1. State Senator and Prop. 17
        2. State Attorney General (1979-83)
        3. Governor (R., 1983-91)
          1. Prop 8--Victims Bill of Rights
        4. 1986 Reelection and Rose Bird (D., 1977-86) Campaign

  3. Criminal Justice in California
    1. Crime and Incarceration
    2. Arrests
    3. Prosecutions and the State Attorney General
    4. California Department of Corrections
    5. Uniform Determinate Sentencing
    6. The Death Penalty
    7. Proposition 36 (November 2000), "The Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000"

  4. Judicial Elections
    1. States with Nonpartisan Elections for State Supreme Court
      1. Idaho
      2. Kentucky
      3. Michigan
      4. Minnesota
      5. Nevada
      6. North Dakota
      7. Ohio
      8. Oregon
      9. Wisconsin
      10. Washington
    2. States with Partisan Elections for State Supreme Court
      1. Alabama
      2. Arkansas
      3. Georgia (both partisan/nonpartisan)
      4. Louisiana
      5. Mississippi
      6. New Mexico
      7. North Carolina
      8. Texas
      9. West Virginia
    3. States with Retention Elections for State Supreme Court
      1. Alaska
      2. Arizona
      3. California
      4. Colorado
      5. Florida
      6. Indiana
      7. Iowa
      8. Kansas
      9. Maryland
      10. Missouri
      11. Nebraska
      12. Oklahoma
      13. South Dakota
      14. Wyoming
    4. States with Partisan/Retention Elections for State Supreme Court
      1. Illinois
      2. Pennsylvania
    5. States with Nonpartisan/Retention Elections for State Supreme Court
      1. Montana
      2. Utah

1973 McAlester Prison Riot

California Crime and Prison Indexes