Archived News Releases

If you would like to make a difference by performing an oversight function into the operation of county government, apply to serve on the 2010-2011 Orange County Grand Jury. The number of applications received is less than 50 percent of the 208 total applications submitted last year, and the January 8, 2010 application deadline is quickly approaching.

Many of the Superior Court's public Web site pages are now also available in Spanish and Vietnamese. The public may access Web pages in these languages by clicking on the "Español" or "Tiếng Việt" link located in the upper right-hand corner of the Court’s Web site at www.occourts.org.

The Superior Court of California for the County of Orange is pleased to announce that most current limited (actions filed for $25,000 or less) and unlimited (actions filed for more than $25,000) civil case documents may now be downloaded for a fee directly from the Court's Web site. Documents filed since January 1, 2008 may be searched and downloaded at www.occourts.org. From the homepage, select "online case access" and follow the directions.

In recognition of Grand Jury Awareness Month – November 2009 – The Orange County Board of Supervisors presented the Superior Court with a resolution today highlighting the importance of serving on the Orange County Grand Jury. The Court encourages qualified citizens to apply for the 2010-2011 Orange County Grand Jury. Applications will be accepted until January 8, 2010. Nineteen Orange County residents will be selected to serve as grand jurors. Service as a grand juror requires a full-time commitment for one year, from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.

The DUI Court program to reduce recidivism and combat the problems associated with individuals who drive under the influence (DUI) expanded to a fourth site, at the West Justice Center of the Orange County Superior Court, on October 1, 2009. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Superior Court of Orange County will close courtrooms and public service areas every Friday at 3:00 pm beginning November 6, 2009.

The Superior Court of Orange County is honoring some 240 attorneys who collectively donated over 5,000 hours serving as temporary judges from July 2008 to June 2009. The Court is hosting "A Tribute to our Temporary Judges" on Thursday, October 8, in the Jury Assembly Room at the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, 5:00-6:30 PM.

After a year of planning, a program to address the special needs of at risk girls, ages 12-17, will begin October 2nd. Approximately 30 girls from the juvenile dependency court have been selected to be the first participants in the new Girls Court program. Modeled from the successful collaborative court program, Girls Court will feature a dedicated judicial officer, court staff, and county team.

The Superior Court of Orange County is seeking a limited number of highly qualified attorneys to serve as temporary judges. All attorneys who are interested in applying to serve as a temporary judge for the next three-year term (July 2010 to June 2013), including those who currently serve, must complete and submit the application no later than December 31, 2009.

The Superior Court of Orange County will be closed the third Wednesday of each month beginning September 16, 2009, through June 16, 2010. The California Judicial Council approved the unprecedented one-day-a-month closures for all state courts due to California’s fiscal crisis and the Legislature's reduced state funding to the courts.

The Superior Court of Orange County announces a collaborative program with local bar associations that will utilize court closure days to help reduce its growing civil caseload. The Offsite Voluntary Settlement Conference program is cost free for litigants with pending civil cases and will begin on the first monthly court closure day, August 19, 2009.

The Superior Court of Orange County announces the opening of its third Self Help Center to provide better access to justice for self represented litigants, particularly in the western part of the county. The new center is located on the first floor of the West Justice Center, 8141 13th Street. It is staffed by a self help attorney, and court personnel will assist customers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Superior Court of Orange County will close most courthouses and furlough employees on August 19, 2009. The Court has taken this unprecedented step as a result of California's fiscal crisis and reduced state funding to trial courts.

Beginning August 1, 2009, traffic violators in Orange County who qualify for traffic school will have the option of attending any DMV-approved classroom traffic school or any court-approved online traffic school. Traffic school will no longer be offered at court locations.

Beginning August 19, 2009, the Orange County Superior Court will close to the public on the third Wednesday of every month. These closures of the Court are due to the reduction in funding for the California court system caused by the present budget crisis. Matters already calendared for hearing on a scheduled court closure day will be re-scheduled and the parties noticed of the new date. The closures will continue through the fiscal year of 2009-2010.

The 2009 Justice Achievement Award Honorable Mention was presented to the Superior Court of Orange County at the National Association of Court Management Conference, held July 9, in Boston Massachusetts. The Court received the nationally recognized award for its innovative Packaging of Cases program designed to resolve the problem of courthouse detention overcrowding.

Dennis L. Evans, Ed. D, has been selected as the Foreperson for the 2009/2010 Grand Jury which will begin a one-year term July 1, 2009 announced Judge Kim G. Dunning, Chair of the Grand Jury Recruitment and Selection Committee.

The 19 members and 11 alternates of the 2009-2010 Orange County Grand Jury were selected today from a drawing held in Dept. C1 of the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana.

The Superior Court of California, County of Orange will celebrate Juror Appreciation Week, May 11-15, to acknowledge the service and participation of local citizens as jurors.

The Superior Court of California, County of Orange is joining other organizations around the state in celebrating Mediation Week March 15-21, 2009.

The Superior Court will transition from the County of Orange Online Bidding System to a system, independent of the County, effective April 1, 2009.

On December 10, 2008, a team of county professionals involved in foster care, led by Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court Carolyn Kirkwood, will join teams from over 50 California counties at an historic summit in San Francisco.

To maintain and improve security of court facilities, a new Identification and Access Card Policy will become effective November 17, 2008.

The Superior Court received a resolution from the Orange County Board of Supervisors in recognition of Grand Jury Awareness Month – November 2008 – and the importance of serving on the Orange County Grand Jury.

New evidence presentation equipment is now available in most Superior Court of Orange County’s trial courtrooms.

Judge Tam Nomoto Schumann, of the Superior Court of Orange County, was installed as President of the American Judges Association (AJA) at that organization’s recent annual meeting in Hawaii.

Some 450 students from 12 Orange County high schools will join local elected and appointed officials and members of the judiciary to celebrate Constitution Day, celebrated annually on September 17.

The Superior Court is pleased to announce a new pilot program for trailing trials in unlimited civil cases. Currently, when a courtroom is not available on the Monday morning trial date, the attorneys or their parties are required to remain at the courthouse during the court day until noon on Wednesday, when a new trial date may be assigned.

Nationally recognized court administrator Alan Carlson has been selected by the judges of the Superior Court of Orange County as the new Chief Executive Officer/Clerk of the Court/Jury Commissioner.

Judges of the Superior Court of Orange County unanimously elected Hon. Kim G. Dunning as Presiding Judge and Hon. Thomas J. Borris as the Assistant Presiding Judge at an election held Friday, June 13.

James R. Perez has been selected as the Foreperson for the 2008/2009 Grand Jury which will begin a one-year term July 1, 2008 announced Judge Kim G. Dunning, Chair of the Grand Jury Recruitment and Selection Committee.

Data compiled for the Superior Court of Orange County Collaborative Courts 2007 Annual Report shows that specialty courts continue to be successful in reducing recidivism and improving the lives of the program participants.

The 19 members and 11 alternates of the 2008-2009 Orange County Grand Jury were selected today from a drawing held in Dept. C1 of the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana.

Courts in Orange County will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Law Day with a Flag Raising Ceremony at the Old Courthouse Museum.

The National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will recognize the Superior Court of Orange County Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach Driving under the Influence (DUI) Court as one of a special group of four nationally selected Academy Courts.

The Harbor Justice Center, Laguna Niguel facility will close July 3, 2008 to begin final design and construction of a new 18 courtroom justice center (14 new courtrooms and the reuse of the existing 4 courtrooms) at the existing Crown Valley Parkway site.

The Rules and Forms Committee of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange, has approved for public comment proposed revisions to the Local Rules, of the Probate Division.

The Rules and Forms Committee of the Superior Court, County of Orange, has approved for comment proposed revisions to Local Rules.

To reduce pretrial delays, save time, and utilize limited judicial resources more efficiently, the Superior Court of California, County of Orange will change its case management practices for processing felony trials. Effective March 10, 2008, the Court will transition to a modified master calendar system.

To make a request to film or photograph a court proceeding, complete forms MC-500 and MC-510 and file with the clerk of the judicial officer hearing the matter. Forms MC-500 and MC-510 may also be faxed to the Court’s Public Information Office, (714) 647-4849.

To help litigants resolve their cases quickly and with less expense, the Superior Court of Orange County has added two pilot programs, Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) and Civil Mediation, to its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program.

The Superior Court of Orange County seeks a limited number of qualified attorneys to serve on the Court’s Civil Mediation Panel. Those interested in serving must be a current member of the California State Bar with at least 10 years of membership.

The Superior Court of California, County of Orange and its collaborative partners will celebrate the first anniversary of the Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Court at the North Justice Center with a graduation ceremony for four participants who have successfully completed the program.

With the opening this week of a DUI Court at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, the Superior Court of Orange County now offers driving under the influence (DUI) court programs at three of its justice centers: the Central Justice Center, the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, and the North Justice Center in Fullerton.

The number of Orange County residents seeking to serve on the 2008-2009 Grand Jury is significantly lower than previous years. Only 79 applications have been received and just eight days remain until the close of the application period.

The Superior Court of California, County of Orange is implementing a Civil Mediation Pilot Program for cases filed at the Central Justice Center. Civil Mediation Guidelines for the pilot program are now available http://www.occourts.org/locforms/civilmediationguidelines.pdf for public comment. The deadline for commenting is December 31, 2007.

A new Call Center to help the public get important Court information will open November 26, 2007. Eight specially trained Court employees will staff the Call Center daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Initially, the Call Center will provide information for the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana and the North Justice Center in Fullerton.

Judge Tam Nomoto Schumann, of the Superior Court of Orange County, was elected President-Elect of the American Judges Association (AJA) at that organization’s recent annual meeting in Vancouver. Judge Schuman has been a member of AJA since 2003, and has served on the Board of Governors, Secretary, and Vice President of the Association.

The Superior Court in Orange County is seeking qualified citizens to apply for the 2008-2009 Orange County Grand Jury. Applications will be accepted until January 11, 2008. Nineteen Orange County residents will be selected to serve as grand jurors. Service as a grand juror requires a full-time commitment for one year, from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.

Constitution Day DVD and Lesson Plan: In celebration of Constitution Day, some 250 middle and high schools received free DVDs and lesson plans based on the fictional trial of The People v. Goldie Locks.

The latest in free self-help legal information has expanded service to help those who need assistance in completing court forms to obtain a divorce, a name change, or a guardianship.

The judges of the Superior Court in Orange County elected Joe Teel Perez to the position of Superior Court Commissioner, where he is currently hearing traffic cases at the North Justice Center in Fullerton, California, announced Chief Executive Officer Alan Slater.

The Superior Court of Orange County is seeking a limited number of qualified attorneys to serve as neutral evaluators. Those interested in serving on the Court’s Neutral Evaluator Panel must submit their application no later than August 31, 2007. Applicants must be current members of the California State Bar with at least 10 years of membership.

The Superior Court of the State of California, County of Orange, is forming four panels of qualified attorneys to represent indigent litigants in the following areas: 1. Indigent paternity defendants/respondent 2. Indigent contempt citees 3. Minor child(ren) of indigent parents...

Effective immediately, data input of traffic citations will no longer be done at the Nogales, Mexico facility. The Court has found a solution by renegotiating its contract for traffic data entry with Cal Coast Data Entry, Inc. (CCDE).

The Superior Court of Orange County has received hundreds of calls and e-mails from the public and the media about the Court’s contract for traffic ticket citation data input with Cal Coast Data Entry, Inc. (CCDE). Seven bids were submitted in the competitive selection process.

The Superior Court of Orange County has business practices in place to assure the safety of data entrusted to the Court. For years, the Court has contracted with outside agencies for data entry of traffic citations. In March 2006, Cal Coast Data Entry, Inc. (CCDE), after a competitive bidding process, was selected to provide input of traffic ticket citation data. Located in Cerritos, California, CCDE has been in business since 1978...

Judges of the Superior Court in Orange County unanimously re-elected Nancy Wieben Stock as Presiding Judge and Kim G. Dunning as Assistant Presiding Judge, each for additional one-year terms. Both will complete their current two-year term in December 2007 and will begin their second term in January 2008.

The Superior Court of Orange County invites students and their teachers to learn more about the justice system by participating in its Court Tour program. This educational opportunity is geared for students in grades eight through 12. Trained volunteer guides conduct the three-hour tours.

Effective, July 3, 2007, The Superior Court in Orange County will expand traffic night court to the first and third Tuesdays of each month, between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The Superior Court in Orange County is seeking a limited number of highly qualified attorneys to serve as arbitrators. All attorneys who are interested in applying to serve as an arbitrator on the Court’s Arbitrator Panel must complete and submit their application no later than July 31, 2007.

The Superior Court in Orange County is seeking a limited number of highly qualified attorneys to serve as arbitrators. All attorneys who are interested in applying to serve as an arbitrator on the Court’s Arbitrator Panel must complete and submit their application no later than July 31, 2007.

The 19 members and 11 alternates of the 2007-2008 Orange County Grand Jury were selected today from a drawing held in Dept. C1 of the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana.

May is National Drug Court Month, and many of the Drug Courts in operation at the Superior Court Justice Centers throughout Orange County will be hosting special graduation ceremonies for participants who have completed the Drug Court program.

300 eighth grade students from five Orange County Schools will gather at the Old Orange County Courthouse with local elected officials and members of the judiciary to celebrate Law Day 2007: Liberty Under: Empowering Youth Assuring Democracy.

The Court received more than 250 applications for the Temporary Judge Program. The application process is now closed and the screening process is almost complete.

The Court will launch a new Web-based program, March 12, 2007, that will allow the general public to access basic information about civil, traffic and criminal cases filed with the Orange County Superior Court from any computer with an Internet connection. This convenient new service will be available for no-cost, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A new program aimed to reduce recidivism and combat the problems associated with individuals who drive under the influence (DUI) will open Friday, January 26, 2007 at the Orange County Superior Court North Justice Center in Fullerton. The DUI program is a two-year pilot program funded by a $927,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A new program aimed to reduce recidivism and combat the problems associated with individuals who drive under the influence (DUI) will open Friday, January 26, 2007 at the Orange County Superior Court North Justice Center in Fullerton. The DUI program is a two-year pilot program funded by a $927,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Orange County Superior Court received 238 applications from prospective jurors to serve on the 2007-2008 Orange County Grand Jury. The average age of the applicants is 66 years old.

The judges of the Superior Court in Orange County have elected Edward W. Hall to the position of Superior Court Commissioner, announced Chief Executive Officer Alan Slater. He is expected to begin his work with the Court in late February 2007.

If you would like to make a difference by performing an oversight function into the operation of county government, the January 12, 2007 deadline for applications to serve on the Orange County Grand Jury is quickly approaching. Citizens who are interested in serving should submit their application to the Orange County Superior Court immediately.

The Superior Court is seeking a limited number of highly qualified attorneys to serve as temporary judges. All attorneys who are interested in applying to serve as a temporary judge for the next three-year term (June 2007 to June 2010), including those who currently serve, must complete and submit the application process no later than February 16, 2007.

Vickie Lynn Hix was sworn in today as the newest commissioner of the Court, announced Chief Executive Officer Alan Slater. She was elected to the position by the judges of the Superior Court in Orange County.

The Superior Court in Orange County is seeking qualified citizens to apply for the 2007-2008 Orange County Grand Jury. Applications will be accepted until January 12, 2007. Service as a grand juror requires a full-time commitment for one year, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.

The Superior Court in Orange County is seeking qualified citizens to apply for the 2007-2008 Orange County Grand Jury. Applications will be accepted until January 12, 2007. Service as a grand juror requires a full-time commitment for one year, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.

Internet access to a significant number of civil case records filed with the Orange County Superior Court is now available “round the clock” at the Court’s Internet site: www.occourts.org. The link “Case Info” is located in the left frame near the top of the webpage.

Chief Justice Ronald M. George has appointed Presiding Judge Nancy Wieben Stock of the Superior Court of Orange County as Chair of the Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee.

Prospective jurors in Orange County will be able to confirm their jury service online at anytime when the Court launches its new web-based “eJuror” program on July 17, 2006.

Prospective jurors in Orange County will be able to confirm their jury service online at anytime when the Court launches its new web-based eJuror program Monday, June 26, 2006.

300 eighth grade students from five Orange County Schools will gather at the Old Orange County Courthouse with local elected officials and members of the judiciary to celebrate Law Day 2006: Liberty Under: Law Separate Branches, Balanced Powers.

The Orange County Superior Court is launching its recruitment for Superior Court Commissioners. All those interested in learning more about the position and the application process are invited to attend a panel discussion entitled, “So You Want to Be a Commissioner.”

The Orange County Superior Court Clerk’s Office public service windows and telephone lines will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., effective May 1, 2006, announced Presiding Judge Nancy Wieben Stock.

Significant progress was made today to move forward with plans to design, finance, and construct a new 18-courtroom justice center at the existing Crown Valley Parkway site in Laguna Niguel. The new facility, when completed, will help serve the needs of the growing South Orange County community of more than 500,000 residents, announced Presiding Judge Nancy Wieben Stock.

Recruitment efforts by the Orange County Superior Court and the Orange County Grand Jury Recruitment Committee resulted in the largest percentage of minorities, in recent years, to apply for the Grand Jury, announced Presiding Judge Nancy Wieben Stock.