California Appellate Resources
California Appellate Forms, Rules and Research Resources
California appellate practice draws on statewide forms and rules, district-specific rules and forms, the Supreme Court's own procedures, and a network of public law libraries. This page collects the official sources.
Start With the Correct Pathway
Before selecting a form or a rule, determine whether the matter proceeds to a Court of Appeal district, to a superior court appellate division, or to the Ninth Circuit.
Statewide Judicial Council Forms
The Judicial Council maintains separate appellate form families for unlimited civil, limited civil, felony, misdemeanor, infraction, and other appellate proceedings, together with fee-waiver and proof-of-service forms. Forms are revised on a regular cycle, so the current library should be consulted rather than a stored copy.
California Rules of Court, Title 8
Title 8 contains the rules for the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal, the superior court appellate divisions, transfer of appellate-division cases, and publication of appellate opinions.
District Forms, Rules, and Practices
Each of the six districts publishes its own forms, local rules and orders, practices and procedures, and electronic-filing requirements.
The Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court publishes its electronic-filing rules, internal operating practices and procedures, administrative and standing orders, oral-argument calendar, and case information on its own website.
Self-Help and Practice Guides
The Judicial Branch's self-help guide to appeals and the districts' self-help pages explain the process in plain terms; several districts also publish or link to civil appellate practice guides maintained with local bar associations.
Public Law Libraries and Appellate Research
Every California county has a public law library, open without charge, with access to legal-research databases, practice guides, and reference librarians; several, including the Los Angeles and San Francisco libraries, are designated depositories for California appellate briefs. The Witkin State Law Library in Sacramento is the state's law library.
Use Current Forms and Rules
Before filing, confirm the current form, its revision date, the rules that apply in the reviewing court and district, and the electronic-filing requirements for that filing. Forms and procedures can change even when a bookmarked address continues to work.
Using this website or submitting a conflict check does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not extend, suspend, stay, or otherwise affect any legal, trial-court, appellate, or other deadline or proceeding.