Although attorneys will be aware of this rule, anyone else who needs to go to any state court for any reason -- whether to pay a traffic ticket, file court papers or obtain copies of documents -- should be aware that on July 29, 2009, the California Judicial Council, which oversees the state's courts, voted unanimously at a meeting in San Francisco to close the courts the third Wednesday of every month from September through July.
The closure will be treated as a holiday and litigants will receive an extra day toward meeting legal deadlines.
The move is expected to save the court system $84 million in a year in which it faced a $414 million deficit. Several trial courts, including the state's largest in Los Angeles, had already begun closing courts during regular business hours as state and local governments struggle to pay their bills in the face of historic budget deficits.
The unprecedented move, which includes shuttering the California Supreme Court along with every appellate and trial court in the state, is one of the first tangible affects of lawmakers' new deal to close a $24 billion budget deficit. In addition, the Judicial Council increased the fees many litigants have to pay when appearing in court.
Any questions or comments should be directed to: tgreen@greenassoc.com. The firm's website is: http://www.greenassoc.com/
