Supreme Court of California

Supreme Court of California
Seal of the Supreme Court of California
Established1849
LocationSan Francisco (Headquarters)
Sacramento
Los Angeles
Composition methodGubernatorial nomination and confirmation by Chief Justice, Attorney General and a senior presiding judge of the Court of Appeal
Authorized byCalifornia Constitution
Appeals toSupreme Court of the United States (for matters involving U.S. federal law or the U.S. Constitution only)
Judge term length12 years; renewable
Number of positions7
Websitesupreme.courts.ca.gov
Chief Justice
CurrentlyPatricia Guerrero
SinceJanuary 2, 2023
Lead position endsJanuary 8, 2035
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The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building,[1] but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento.[2] Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.[3] Since 1850, the court has issued many influential decisions in a variety of areas including torts, property, civil and constitutional rights, and criminal law.

  1. ^ "Contact Us - supreme_court". www.courts.ca.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  2. ^ Dear, Jake (2020). "California's First Judicial Staff Attorneys: The Surprising Role That Commissioners Played, 1885–1905, in Creating the Courts of Appeal" (PDF). California Legal History. 15: 125–161. ISSN 1930-4943. OCLC 825171095. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  3. ^ Auto Equity Sales, Inc. v. Superior Court, 57 Cal. 2d 450 Archived 2018-10-04 at the Wayback Machine (1962). In Auto Equity Sales, the Court explained: "Under the doctrine of stare decisis, all tribunals exercising inferior jurisdiction are required to follow decisions of courts exercising superior jurisdiction. Otherwise, the doctrine of stare decisis makes no sense. The decisions of this court are binding upon and must be followed by all the state courts of California. Decisions of every division of the District Courts of Appeal are binding upon all the justice and municipal courts and upon all the superior courts of this state, and this is so whether or not the superior court is acting as a trial or appellate court. Courts exercising inferior jurisdiction must accept the law declared by courts of superior jurisdiction. It is not their function to attempt to overrule decisions of a higher court."