California Courts of Appeal

About

The California Courts of Appeal were established by constitutional amendment in 1904 and are the state's intermediate courts of review. The primary function of the Courts of Appeal is to ensure that the law is interpreted and applied correctly, not to hear testimony, consider evidence outside of the record, or retry cases. An appeal from a superior court judgment is decided based on the record from the original trial or proceeding.  There are six districts throughout the state and the Courts of Appeal website is organized by each district. Learn about the districts, their processes, justices on the bench, view oral arguments, and more. 

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What You'll Find on the Courts of Appeal Site

First Appellate District

Serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma counties.

Second Appellate District

Serves Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties.

Third Appellate District

Serves 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.

Fourth Appellate District

Serves Imperial, Inyo, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.

Fifth Appellate District

Serves Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne counties.

Sixth Appellate District

Serves Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties.

Statewide Appellate Programs

The California Courts of Appeal have programs that apply across the state.  Explore each of our programs, including the California Judicial Mentorship Program, the Court-Appointed Counsel Program, and Habeas Counsel (Prop 66).