California Courts Newsroom
October 13, 2017
![Counties Impacted by Wildfire](http://cms.ipressroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/262/files/20179/banner.png)
Courts Impacted by Wildfires:
Lake County Superior Court: Open
Marin County Superior Court: Open
Mendocino County Superior Court: Open
Napa County Superior Court: Cancellation of Jury Service Oct 16–20, 2017
All jurors summoned for Monday, Oct 16 have been excused. There will be no jury service that week. If you have questions, please call (707) 299-1150 or (707) 299-1100.
Orange County: Open
Solano County Superior Court: Partial Closures, Calendars Rescheduled Oct 12 and 13, 2017
(Posted Oct 11): The Superior Court of Solano County has announced that Civil, Probate and Family Law Departments will reschedule cases on calendar for October 12 and 13, 2017. The Sheriff’s Office is assisting in fire safety efforts and the number of bailiffs has been reduced at the court. Parties will be notified of their new date by the court. The Clerk’s Offices are closing at 12:00 p.m. today due to fire advisory notices and air quality conditions in Fairfield. Drop boxes will be available at court locations in Fairfield and Vallejo.
All Criminal and Juvenile Departments will be open in both Fairfield and Vallejo. There will be no change in the criminal and juvenile calendars.
Jurors should check the court’s website or telephone number, as listed on their jury summons.
Sonoma County Superior Court: Full Closure Oct 10–Oct 13, 2017
(Closure began Tuesday Oct 10) Due to overnight developments and expected increase in winds through tomorrow, the Sheriff’s department is unable staff our courtrooms through Friday, so the court will remain closed on Thursday, Oct 12 and Friday, Oct 13.
Emergency Orders in the Judicial Branch:
Authority for Emergency Orders from the Chair of the Judicial Council
Government Code section 68115 authorizes the Chair of the Judicial Council (the Chief Justice) to issue judicial emergency orders, at the request of a superior court’s presiding judge, when war, insurrection, pestilence, or other public calamity, or the danger thereof, or the destruction of or danger to court buildings renders it necessary, or when a large influx of criminal cases resulting from a large number of arrests within a short period of time threatens the orderly operation of the courts.
Most requests for emergency orders are submitted by courts that face a large influx of criminal cases resulting from mass arrests or from courts affected by serious earthquakes, floods, fires, or other extraordinary circumstances that render a court facility partially or fully unusable. In an emergency order, the Chair of the Judicial Council can authorize a court, “notwithstanding any other provision of law,” to do one or more of the following, depending on the circumstances of the emergency:
Hold sessions anywhere within the county;
Transfer civil cases pending in the court to a court in an adjacent county;
Declare a holiday for purposes of computing time under certain statutes;
Extend the duration of a temporary restraining order;
Extend the time period for holding a preliminary examination;
Extend the time period within which a criminal trial must be held.
https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/courts-report-on-impacts-of-wildfires