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HomeGovernment CodeCh. 2Art. 5§ 68603 Court Case Timeliness Standards

§ 68603 Court Case Timeliness Standards

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 68603 Court Case Timeliness Standards

Key Takeaways

  • •The law says courts should handle cases quickly and not waste time.
  • •There are rules to decide how long a case should take based on how hard it is.
  • •Simple cases should be finished faster than complicated ones.
  • •The rules help make sure all courts in California follow the same timeline.

Example

If someone sues their neighbor over a broken fence, the court should set a timeline for when the case must be solved.

The court will decide how long this case should take based on how simple or complicated it is. If it's a simple fence problem, the case should be solved faster than a big, complicated case.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 68603 Court Case Timeliness Standards

(a) The Judicial Council shall adopt standards of timely disposition for the processing and disposition of civil and criminal actions. The standards shall be guidelines by which the progress of litigation in the superior court of every county may be measured. In establishing these standards, the Judicial Council shall be guided by the principles that litigation, from commencement to resolution, should require only that time reasonably necessary for pleadings, discovery, preparation, and court events, and that any additional elapsed time is delay and should be eliminated. (b) The Judicial Council may adopt the standards of timely disposition adopted by the National Conference of State Trial Judges and the American Bar Association or may adopt different standards, but in the latter event shall specify reasons for approval of any standard which permits greater elapsed time for the resolution of litigation than that provided in the standards of the National Conference of State Trial Judges. (c) The Judicial Council shall adopt rules effective July 1, 1991, to be used by all delay reduction courts, establishing a case differentiation classification system based on the relative complexity of cases. The rules shall provide longer periods for the timely disposition of more complex cases. The rules may provide a presumption that all cases, when filed, shall be classified in the least complex category. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1232, Sec. 3.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

resolutionthe judicial councildispositionhearingtrialdiscoverylitigationnational conference

Related Statutes

  • § 68607 Judicial Case Management Duties
  • § 68616 Service And Response Deadlines
  • § 29406 District Attorney Voucher Filing
  • § 68612 Court Case Management Procedures
  • § 68620 Limited Civil Case Delays

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 68603.
View Official Source