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HomePenal CodeJudicial Bribery PenaltiesPt. 1Ch. 1§ 93 Judicial Bribery Penalties

§ 93 Judicial Bribery Penalties

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

§ 93 Judicial Bribery Penalties

This law says that judges, jurors, or other people who make official decisions can't take bribes. If they do, they can go to jail and pay big fines.

Key Takeaways

  • •Judges, jurors, and other decision-makers can't take bribes.
  • •If they take a bribe, they can go to jail for 2-4 years.
  • •They also have to pay a fine, which depends on how much the bribe was.
  • •The court will check if the person can actually pay the fine.

Example

A judge is offered $5,000 to rule in favor of someone in a court case.

The judge would be breaking the law by taking the money, and they could go to jail for 2-4 years and pay a fine.

How to Calculate

Fine = max(actual bribe amount, $2,000) or up to min(double the bribe, $10,000)

  1. Check if a bribe was actually received.
  2. If no bribe was received, the fine is between $2,000 and $10,000.
  3. If a bribe was received, the fine is at least the bribe amount or $2,000 (whichever is bigger), but no more than double the bribe or $10,000 (whichever is bigger).

A juror takes a $3,000 bribe to vote a certain way.

Result: The fine would be at least $3,000 (since it's bigger than $2,000) but no more than $6,000 (since double the bribe is $6,000, which is less than $10,000).

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 93 Judicial Bribery Penalties

PENAL CODE - PEN PART 1. OF CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS [25 - 680.4] ( Part 1 enacted 1872. ) TITLE 7. OF CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC JUSTICE [92 - 186.36] ( Title 7 enacted 1872. ) CHAPTER 1. Bribery and Corruption [92 - 100] ( Chapter 1 enacted 1872. ) 93. (a) Every judicial officer, juror, referee, arbitrator, or umpire, and every person authorized by law to hear or determine any question or controversy, who asks, receives, or agrees to receive, any bribe, upon any agreement or understanding that his or her vote, opinion, or decision upon any matters or question which is or may be brought before him or her for decision, shall be influenced thereby, is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years and, in cases where no bribe has been actually received, by a restitution fine of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) or not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or, in cases where a bribe was actually received, by a restitution fine of at least the actual amount of the bribe received or two thousand dollars ($2,000), whichever is greater, or any larger amount of not more than double the amount of any bribe received or ten thousand dollars ($10,000), whichever is greater. (b) In imposing a restitution fine under this section, the court shall consider the defendant’s ability to pay the fine. (Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 282, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2002.)

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

judicial officerbriberestitution fineimprisonment

Related Statutes

  • § 86 Legislative Bribery Prohibition
  • § 92 Bribery Of Judicial Officials
  • § 67 Bribing Executive Officers
  • § 68 Bribery Of Public Officials
  • § 17 Felony And Misdemeanor Classification

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Penal Code. Section 93.
View Official Source