Invitations to Comment

The Racial Justice Act prohibits the state from seeking or obtaining a conviction or sentence based on race, ethnicity, or national origin. To implement recent legislation related to the Racial Justice Act and address urgent issues identified by courts on existing court forms implementing the Act, the Appellate Advisory Committee and the Criminal Law Advisory Committee propose amending two rules of court and revising three forms.

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The Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee is proposing revisions and additions to the Judicial Council forms that individuals use to request a change of name and recognition of a change of gender and sex identifier. The proposal implements Assembly Bill 1084 (Stats. 2025, ch. 723) and Senate Bill 59 (Stats. 2025, ch. 738). AB 1084, which becomes operative on July 1, 2026, streamlines the process associated with a change of name and recognition of a change of gender and sex identifier. SB 59 makes court records associated with these proceedings confidential and gives the Judicial Council until July 1, 2026, to develop rules and forms to implement that new law. The proposal also makes various technical or clarifying changes and updates rules and forms that participants in the Secretary of State’s address confidentiality program (Safe at Home) may use to request confidential name changes. Finally, the committee proposes revisions to certain forms in response to feedback from members of the public regarding clarity and ease of use.

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Assembly Bill 774 (Stats. 2025, ch. 708), makes several changes to the laws regarding enforcement of judgment, including creation of a new procedure by which the judgment creditor may seek reinstatement of a judgment lien on real or personal property. The Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee proposes adopting 3 forms and revising 10 forms to implement AB 774.

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The Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee proposes revising Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010) to add a case type for Song-Beverly Act motor vehicle lemon law cases. Judicial officers and court executive officers at several courts have requested this revision to address recent significant increases in the number of Song-Beverly Act motor vehicle case filings. The proposed form revision will allow courts and the branch to more easily and effectively collect data about the number of these cases being filed and the court resources they require. The committee also proposes revising page 3 of the form to add introductory text, use consistent terminology, and clarify the meaning of several items

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The Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee proposes amending standard 4.10 of the California Standards of Judicial Administration to expand the scope of its application from diversion drug court programs to adult collaborative treatment courts.1 This amendment is in response to Senate Bill 910 (Stats. 2024, ch. 641),2 which expressly requires the Judicial Council to amend standards of judicial administration to reflect specified state and nationally recognized best practices and guidelines for collaborative programs.

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Under existing law, before accepting a plea of guilty or no contest, courts must advise a defendant on the record that if they are not a citizen, conviction of the charged offense may result in specified immigration consequences. Recent legislation requires courts to advise defendants of these immigration consequences with the verbatim language of Penal Code section 1016.5(a). Additionally, when a defendant pleads guilty or no contest to a sexually violent offense, the California Supreme Court has directed trial courts to advise defendants about the possibility of being referred to sexually violent predator civil commitment proceedings. The Criminal Law Advisory Committee proposes amendments to the optional felony plea form to incorporate the verbatim immigration advisement and to clarify the advisement in cases involving sexually violent offenses.

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The Racial Justice Act prohibits the state from seeking or obtaining a conviction or sentence based on race, ethnicity, or national origin. To implement recent legislation related to the Racial Justice Act and address urgent issues identified by courts on existing court forms implementing the Act, the Appellate Advisory Committee and the Criminal Law Advisory Committee propose amending two rules of court and revising three forms.

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Assembly Bill 1071 (Kalra; Stats. 2025, ch. 721) amended provisions of the Racial Justice Act by, among other changes, adding a service requirement to Penal Code section 745. In cases involving represented applicants who allege a violation of the act by law enforcement, counsel for the applicant must now serve a copy of the petition on the law enforcement agency that employed the officer. The Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee proposes revising two forms to implement AB 1071 in juvenile court and to make clarifying nonsubstantive changes.

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To implement recently enacted legislation regarding the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, the Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee proposes amending three rules of court, repealing one rule of court, approving two forms, and revising five forms. Senate Bill 27 (Stats. 2025, ch. 528) amended both substantive and procedural aspects of the CARE Act, including eligibility criteria and initiation processes. This proposal would make the changes to rules and forms necessary to conform to SB 27. This proposal would also make minor changes to improve form usability and clarity.

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The Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness proposes a new standard of judicial administration to ensure gender inclusivity of juror identification and juror questionnaires, consistent with the directive in Assembly Bill 1899 (Cervantes; Stats. 2024, ch. 812). In line with AB 1899’s directive and the proposed new standard, the committee proposes amending two standards and three rules and revising two forms, all of which use language for jurors that is not inclusive of all genders. In addition, the committee proposes minor changes to conform to style guidelines and to improve accuracy, consistency, clarity, and usability of the materials. Since this proposal includes revisions to materials for use in civil and criminal matters, the Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness consulted with the Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee and the Criminal Law Advisory Committee when developing this proposal to get input on the proposed revisions and identify additional minor clarifications to make in the materials.

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