California Courts of Appeal Records

Search for public court records online in the California Courts of Appeal. Lookup the case information you need and search by case number, case name, party, attorney, judge, docket entry, filing date, courthouse, case type, party type, party representation, and more. Get access to the court dockets, court documents, transcripts, and legal data on the parties, attorneys, law firms, and judges involved in court cases in the California Appellate Courts.

UniCourt’s case search gives you real-time access to a range of case types in California trial courts, including Civil Right, Contract, Criminal, Family, Forfeiture, Labor, Other, Personal Injury, Probate, Property, and Small Claim. Along with streamlined access to court data, you can also get the latest court docket information, obtain case summaries, check case statuses, download court documents, view tentative rulings, and track lawsuits to get real-time alerts on new case updates.

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About the California Courts of Appeal

Established in 1904, the California Courts of Appeal form the largest state-level intermediate appellate court system in the United States. The California Courts of Appeal are the state’s intermediate courts of review and their primary function is to ensure that the law is interpreted and applied correctly.

The California Courts of Appeal have appellate jurisdiction in cases where the Superior Courts have original jurisdiction and in certain other cases prescribed by statute. They review the final judgment or appealable orders for prejudicial errors of law, except for cases of death penalty. These courts do not hear testimony, retry cases, or reconsider the factual findings of the judge or jury.

These courts also receive appeals, or writ proceedings, from decisions of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, and the Public Employment Relations Board. Like the Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal have original jurisdiction in habeas corpus, mandamus, certiorari, and prohibition proceedings. In most writ proceedings, the court has discretion about whether to decide the merits of the claims set forth in the petition.

There are six appellate districts in California, divided on the basis of geography by the California Legislature, which may be further divided into divisions. Each appellate district (or division) has a Presiding Justice and at least two Associate Justices. There are a total of 106 appellate justices serving the six California Appellate districts.

Justices are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Nominations, which consists of the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals of the affected district, or if there are 2 or more Presiding Justices, the one who has presided longest. They are appointed for a term of 12 years, subject to retention by the public at the next general election following appointment and confirmation and at the conclusion of each term.

California Appellate Districts

The First District Court of Appeal

The First Appellate District serves the following twelve Northern California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma. This district has 20 justices that review over 2,000 criminal, civil, and juvenile appeals and over 1,300 original proceedings each year.

The First District Court of Appeal is divided into five divisions, which each have four judges. Originally, in 1905, the First Appellate District had only three justices. However, as the district has grown, more justices have had to be appointed to serve the population.

The Court of Appeals for the First Appellate District is required to hold its regular sessions at 350 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. You can reach this court by calling (415) 865-7300. You can also reach the Clerk of the First Appellate District for general information by calling (415) 865-7201, faxing (415) 865-7209, or emailing First.District@jud.ca.gov.

The Administrative Presiding Justice for the First Division of the First District Court of Appeal is the Hon. Jim Humes. You can reach divisional Deputy Clerk Shelly Diener by calling (415) 865-7290 or Deputy Clerk Tatum Nevils by calling (415) 865-7291. You can also reach the First Division by emailing 1DC-Div1-Clerks@jud.ca.gov.

The Presiding Justice for the Second Division is the Hon. Therese M. Stewart. You can reach divisional Deputy Clerk Stacy Wheeler by calling (415) 865-7292 or Deputy Clerk Imelda Santos by calling (415) 865-7293. You can also reach the Second Division by emailing 1DC-Div2-Clerks@jud.ca.gov.

The Presiding Justice for the Third Division is the Hon. Alison M. Tucher. You can reach divisional Deputy Clerk Xenia Santelises by calling (415) 865-7294 or Deputy Clerk Garth King by calling (415) 865-7295. You can also reach the Third Division by emailing 1DC-Div3-Clerks@jud.ca.gov.

The Presiding Justice for the Fourth Division is the Hon. Stuart R. Pollak. You can reach divisional Deputy Clerk Channing Hoo by calling (415) 865-7296 or Deputy Clerk Melissa Garcia by calling (415) 865-7297. You can also reach the Fourth Division by emailing 1DC-Div4-Clerks@jud.ca.gov.

The Presiding Justice for the Fifth Division is the Hon. Teri L. Jackson. You can reach divisional Deputy Clerk Ann Reasoner by calling (415) 865-7298 or Deputy Clerk Vira Pons by calling (415) 865-7299. You can also reach the Fifth Division by emailing 1DC-Div5-Clerks@jud.ca.gov.

The Second District Court of Appeal

The Second District Appellate Court has jurisdiction over the following four counties in California: Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. The Second District Court of Appeal is divided into eight divisions, each with four justices.

All divisions, other than the Sixth Division, are located at the Ronald Reagan State Building, 300 S. Spring Street, 2nd Floor, North Tower, Los Angeles, CA 90013. These divisions handle all matters arising from the Los Angeles Superior Court. You can reach the Clerk’s Office by calling (213) 830-7000.

The Sixth Division is located at Court Place, 200 East Santa Clara Street, Ventura, CA 93001, and handles all matters from the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Superior Courts. You can reach the 6th Division Clerk’s Office by calling (805) 641-4700.

The Presiding Justices for each division are as follows: for the First Division, the Hon. Frances Rothschild; for the Second Division, the Hon. Elwood Lui; for the Third Division, the Hon. Lee Smalley Edmon; for the Fourth Division, the Hon. Audrey B. Collins and the Hon. Brain S. Currey; for the Fifth Division, the Hon. Laurence D. Rubin; for the Sixth Division, the Hon. Arthur Gilbert; for the Seventh Division, the Hon. Dennis M. Perluss; and for the Eighth Division, the Hon. Maria E. Stratton.

The Third District Court of Appeal

Located in Sacramento, California’s Third District Court of Appeal is one of the three original Courts of Appeal established in 1904. It has jurisdiction over 23 counties in the state of California, including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba counties. This district has 11 justices and no divisions.

The Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building, located at 914 Capitol Mall in Sacramento, CA 95814, is the permanent home of the Court of Appeal for the Third Appellate District. You can reach the Clerk’s Office by calling (916) 654-0209 or emailing 3DC-Questions@jud.ca.gov.

The Acting Administrative Presiding Justice is the Hon. Ronald B. Robie.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal

The Fourth Appellate District is divided into three geographical divisions and has jurisdiction over appeals from Imperial, San Diego, Orange, Inyo, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

The First Division of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has jurisdiction over appeals arising from Imperial and San Diego counties. The First Division is located at Symphony Towers, 750 B Street, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101. The Administrative Presiding Justice is the Hon. Judith McConnell. You can reach the Court Clerk’s Office by calling (619) 744-0760 or emailing  4DCA1ContactUs@jud.ca.gov.

The Second Division has jurisdiction over appeals from Inyo, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. This division is located at 3389 12th Street, Riverside, CA 92501. The Presiding Justice of the Second Division is the Hon. Manuel A. Ramirez. You can reach the Court Clerk’s Office by calling (951) 782-2500 or emailing 4DCA2ContactUs@jud.ca.gov.

The Third Division has jurisdiction over appeals arising from Orange County. The Third Division is located at 601 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92701. The Presiding Justice is the Hon. Kathleen E. O'Leary. You can reach the Court Clerk’s Office by calling (714) 571-2600.

The Fifth District Court of Appeal

The Fifth District Court of Appeal covers appeals from the following nine Central California counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne.

This district has 10 judges, who typically operate three, three justice panels. Each panel handles approximately 18 cases per month. The justices are rotated among the panels each month.

The Fifth District Appellate Court is located at 2424 Ventura Street, Fresno, CA 93721. The Presiding Judge is the Hon. Brad R. Hill. You can reach the Court Clerk’s Office by calling (559) 445-5491 or faxing (559) 445-5769.

The Sixth District Court of Appeal

The Sixth District Court of Appeal for California is located in San Jose and handles cases from Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties.

This district has seven authorized judicial positions, consisting of a presiding justice and six associate justices. Cases are decided by randomly selected three justice panels. The seven justices of the Sixth District Court of Appeals annually decide over 900 appeals and dispose of 500 writ petitions.

The Sixth Appellate District is located at 333 W. Santa Clara Street, Suite 1060, San Jose, CA 95113. The Administrative Presiding Judge is the Hon. Mary J Greenwood, who can be reached by calling (408) 277-1004.

Courthouses in California Courts of Appeal

Courthouse  
Fifth Appellate District
Courthouse Location
2424 Ventura St., Fresno, CA 93721, USA
Courthouse  
First Appellate District
Courthouse Location
350 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Courthouse  
Fourth Appellate District
Courthouse Location
Symphony Towers, 750 B Street, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Courthouse  
Second Appellate District
Courthouse Location
Ronald Reagan State Building, 300 S. Spring Street, 2nd Floor, North Tower, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA
Courthouse  
Sixth Appellate District
Courthouse Location
333 W. Santa Clara St., Suite 1060, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
Courthouse  
Third Appellate District
Courthouse Location
914 Capitol Mall, 4th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA

Facts and Statistics

  1. Decisions made by the California Courts of Appeal are published in official reports, which are known as "California Appellate Reports" or "C.A.R."
  2. In 1966, Associate Justice Stephen K. Tamura became the first Asian-American justice to be appointed to an Appellate Court in the continental United States.
  3. The Third District Court of Appeal is located at the Capitol Building, which was named as a state landmark in 1977 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
  4. On January 14, 2021, Justice Truc T. Do of the First Division of the Fourth District Court of Appeal became the first Vietnamese-American justice to be appointed in California.

Why use UniCourt to search for California Courts of Appeal Cases?

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Everyday of the week, UniCourt collects all of the newly filed civil and criminal cases in the California Courts of Appeal and lets you search through those new case filings in our CrowdSourced Library™. You can also use UniCourt to track state court litigation and get real-time case alerts sent directly to your inbox. Further, UniCourt lets you download court documents on-demand without ever having to login to a government court database, and gives you unlimited access to download millions of free state and federal court documents in our CrowdSourced Library™.

In addition to the California Courts of Appeal, UniCourt provides you with access to other state courts across California, including many of the largest counties across the state, such as the Los Angeles County Superior Courts, the San Diego County Superior Courts, the Orange County Superior Courts, the Riverside County Superior Courts, and San Bernardino County Superior Courts.

UniCourt also gives you access to court records for all of the federal courts in the state of California, including the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (C.D. Cal.), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (N.D. Cal.), the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (S.D. Cal.), and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California (E.D. Cal.).

UniCourt further provides full access to federal court data for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as well as the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California.

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Latest Court Cases from California Courts of Appeal

Maria Menera Ramirez v. Humano, LLC

California Courts of Appeal | Fourth Appellate District | Civil | 09/25/2025

Wilkins v. Superior Court Los Angeles County et al.

California Courts of Appeal | Second Appellate District | Civil | 09/25/2025

The People v. Harrington

California Courts of Appeal | Third Appellate District | Civil | 09/25/2025

The People v. Cruz

California Courts of Appeal | Fifth Appellate District | Civil | 09/25/2025

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