All California state courts will close on Wednesday, May 19 as a cost-saving measure to help courts cope with unprecedented budget reductions in the judicial branch of government.
These state courts will be closed tomorrow: the Supreme Court of California, the Courts of Appeal, and the superior courts in each of California’s 58 counties. The Administrative Office of the Courts also will be closed.
At an emergency public meeting in July 2009, the Judicial Council approved the court closures on the third Wednesday of each month starting in September 2009 and continuing through June 2010. The closures were authorized by Government Code section 68106, passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
At a special meeting in January 2010, the council voted to continue the court closures through June 2010, because of the severity of the state’s economic crisis and the judicial branch budget reductions.
Statewide court closures may be averted during the next fiscal year, due to a revised state budget announced last week by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Judicial Council has advocated for sufficient funding to keep courts open after June 2010.
Court closure days are to be counted as holidays for the purpose of computing time for statutory deadlines.
