California trial binder rules by department
Not legal advice. Rules checked against the code on August 20, 2026. Verify every date yourself. Read the full disclaimer
Core CCP rules were checked against Westlaw (via CoCounsel legal research) on August 20, 2026. County local rules are paraphrased summaries. Individual department and judge standing orders are included only where the court publishes them and we have read the document, so assume your own department has requirements beyond what you see here. Verify every date against the operative code sections, your court’s rules and your department’s own order before relying on it. Using this site creates no attorney-client relationship.
137 departments across 14 California superior courts publish a trial preparation order of their own, and in most of those courts the department order is stricter than the county rule. No court publishes a list of which departments have one. This is that list.
Every row links to the department’s block on its county page, which carries the order’s requirements, how it differs from the county rule, and a link to the document itself. The judge column shows the name as it appears on the published order. Courts renumber departments and judges rotate, so treat the department as the key and the name as a hint, and confirm on the court’s own roster.
Alameda County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 511 | Hayward Hall of Justice, 24405 Amador Street, Hayward | Lupe Garcia | Not addressed |
| Department 24 | Oakland, Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street | Rebekah Evenson | Yes |
| Department 25 | Oakland, Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street | Jenna M. Whitman | Yes |
| Department 303 | George E. McDonald Hall of Justice, 2233 Shoreline Drive, Alameda | Karin Schwartz | Yes |
| Department 1 | Rene C. Davidson Courthouse, 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland | Michael M. Markman | Yes |
Del Norte County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 1 | Not stated | Hon. D. Darren McElfresh | Not addressed |
Los Angeles County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 735 (formerly 74) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Colin Leis | Yes |
| Department 205 | Beverly Hills Courthouse | Judge Edward B. Moreton, Jr. | Yes |
| Department 207 | Beverly Hills Courthouse | Judge Michael E. Whitaker | Yes |
| Department B | Burbank Courthouse | Judge Lee S. Arian | Yes |
| Department F44 | Chatsworth Courthouse | Judge Victor Avila | Yes |
| Department D | Glendale Courthouse | Judge Ralph C. Hofer | Yes |
| Department E | Glendale Courthouse | Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury | Yes |
| Department A | Pomona Courthouse South | Judge Bryant Y. Yang | Yes |
| Department 311 (formerly 19) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Doreen B. Boxer | Yes |
| Department 316 (formerly 26) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Andrew Esbenshade | Yes |
| Department 413 (formerly 37) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge William E. Weinberger | Not addressed |
| Department 507 (formerly 47) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Nicholas F. Daum | Yes |
| Department 508 (formerly 50) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Teresa A. Beaudet | Yes |
| Department 512 (formerly 54) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Maurice A. Leiter | Yes |
| Department 513 (formerly 53) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Robert B. Broadbelt | Yes |
| Department 531 (formerly 96) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Gregory W. Alarcon | Not addressed |
| Department 729 (formerly 71) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Daniel M. Crowley | Yes |
| Department 730 (formerly 78) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Tiana J. Murillo | Yes |
| Department 733 (formerly 73) | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | Judge Gary D. Roberts | Yes |
| Department 107 | Van Nuys Courthouse West | Judge Eric Harmon | Not addressed |
| Department S27 | Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (Long Beach) | Judge Mark C. Kim | Not addressed |
| Department U | Van Nuys Courthouse East | Judge Valerie Salkin | Yes |
| Department R | Pasadena Courthouse | Judge Jerry B. Marshak | Yes |
| Department O | Santa Monica Courthouse | Judge Bradley S. Phillips | Yes |
| Department 11 | Spring Street Courthouse | Not published | Yes |
| Department 25 | Spring Street Courthouse | Not published | Yes |
Orange County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department C25 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Gassia Apkarian | Yes |
| Department C21 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Craig E. Arthur | Yes |
| Department N14 | North Justice Center, Fullerton | Hon. Julianne Sartain Bancroft | Yes |
| Department C34 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. H. Shaina Colover | Yes |
| Department C13 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Nick A. Dourbetas | Not addressed |
| Department C27 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Bradley S. Erdosi | Yes |
| Department C11 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Jonathan S. Fish | Yes |
| Department C32 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Lee L. Gabriel | Yes |
| Department N16 | North Justice Center, Fullerton | Hon. Donald F. Gaffney | Yes |
| Department N17 | North Justice Center, Fullerton | Hon. Craig L. Griffin | Yes |
| Department C23 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. David J. Hesseltine | Yes |
| Department C20 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Theodore R. Howard | Yes |
| Department C31 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Kimberly A. Knill | Yes |
| Department C33 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Sandy N. Leal | Yes |
| Department W15 | Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center, Westminster (the standing order's own caption reads Central Justice Center, which is stale) | Hon. Richard Y. Lee | Yes |
| Department C44 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Thomas J. Lo | Yes |
| Department C16 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Carmen Luege | Yes |
| Department C24 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Lindsey E. Martinez | Yes |
| Department C28 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Thomas S. McConville | Not addressed |
| Department C10 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Shawn Nelson | Yes |
| Department W8 | Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center, Westminster | Hon. Sheila O. Recio | Yes |
| Department N18 | North Justice Center, Fullerton | Hon. Scott A. Steiner | Yes |
| Department C15 | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Yolanda V. Torres | Yes |
| Department CX102 | Civil Complex Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Layne H. Melzer | Yes |
| Department CX105 | Civil Complex Center, Santa Ana | Hon. Melissa R. McCormick | Not addressed |
Riverside County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 1 | Riverside Historic Courthouse, Western Region. The county's complex civil department. The Introduction to Complex Civil Litigation at /system/files/2024-05/Intro-complex-civil-litigation_052024.pdf states that Department 1 is the principal complex department, that complex cases are assigned to it for all purposes including trial, and that the presumed complex list begins with 'All construction defect cases'. I read that document; the claim holds. For construction defect work this is the department that matters, across all three regions. | Not published | Yes |
| Department 4 | Riverside Historic Courthouse, Western Region | Not published | Not addressed |
| Department 5 | Riverside Historic Courthouse, Western Region | Sophia Choi | Yes |
| Department 7 | Riverside Historic Courthouse, Western Region | Not published | Not addressed |
| Department M301 | Menifee Justice Center, Mid County Region | Not published | Yes |
| Department M302 | Menifee Justice Center, Mid County Region | Not published | Yes |
| Department PS1 | Palm Springs Courthouse, Eastern Region | Not published | Yes |
| Department PS2 | Palm Springs Courthouse, Eastern Region | Not published | Yes |
| Department PS4 | Palm Springs Courthouse, Eastern Region. SCOPE WARNING: the 2026 directory assigns PS4 'Small Claims, Unlawful Detainers, Limited Civil, Name Changes, and Civil Harassments', not unlimited civil. Its own trial section is scoped to 'Trials (not including small claims, unlawful detainer, and collections cases)'. These are limited civil trial rules. They are kept here because limited civil is civil and the policy is genuinely published, but do not assume they govern an unlimited civil trial. | Michael C. Martin | Yes |
Sacramento County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 3A | Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street | Hon. Jennifer K. Rockwell | Yes |
| Department 3B | Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street | Hon. Stephen Acquisto | Yes |
| Department 13A | Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street | Hon. James P. Arguelles | Not addressed |
| Department 16B | Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street | Hon. Shelleyanne W.L. Chang | Yes |
| Department 17A, the Presiding Judge's department | Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street | Hon. Lawrence G. Brown | Not addressed |
| Department 8A, complex civil | Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street | Hon. Jill H. Talley | Not addressed |
| Department 8B, complex civil | Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street | Not published | Not addressed |
San Bernardino County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department S17 | San Bernardino Justice Center, Complex Litigation Program | Hon. Joseph T. Ortiz | Yes |
| Department S22 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. David E. Driscoll | Yes |
| Department S23 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Donald Alvarez | Yes |
| Department S24 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Carlos Cabrera | Not addressed |
| Department S-25 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Khymberli S. Apaloo | Yes |
| Department S26 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Kevin C. Lee | Yes |
| Dept S27 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Thomas Garza | Yes |
| Dept. S-28 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Michael A. Sachs | Not addressed |
| Dept. S-29 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Nicole Quintana Winter | Yes |
| Department S30 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Charlie L. Hill, Jr. | Yes |
| Department S31 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Not published | Yes |
| Department S32 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Wilfred J. Schneider, Jr. | Yes |
| Dept S33 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Stephanie Tanada | Yes |
| Department S35 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Michael A. Dauber | Not addressed |
| Dept. S-36 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Joseph B. Widman | Yes |
| Dept S37 | San Bernardino Justice Center | Hon. Winston S. Keh | Yes |
| Dept. R12 | Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse | Hon. Kory Mathewson | Not addressed |
| Dept R14 | Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse | Hon. Tony Raphael | Yes |
| Department R-17 | Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse | Hon. Gilbert G. Ochoa | Not addressed |
| Department V11 | Victorville Courthouse | Commissioner Malalai Farooqi | Yes |
| Department V12 | Victorville Courthouse | Hon. Jeffery R. Erickson | Yes |
San Diego County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department N-27 | North County Regional Center, Vista | Hon. Cynthia A. Freeland | Yes |
| Department N-28 | North County Regional Center, Vista | Hon. Daniel Segura | Yes |
| Department N-29 | North County Regional Center, Vista | Hon. William Y. Wood | Yes |
| Department N-31 | North County Regional Center, Vista | Hon. Victor M. Torres | Yes |
| Department 60 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Matthew C. Braner | Yes |
| Department 62 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Judy S. Bae | Yes |
| Department 63 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Katherine A. Bacal | Yes |
| Department 64 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Loren G. Freestone | Yes |
| Department 65 | Central Division, 4th Floor Hall of Justice | Hon. Mark T. Cumba | Yes |
| Department 66 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Wendy M. Behan | Yes |
| Department 67 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Michael T. Smyth | Yes |
| Department 68 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Terrie E. Roberts | Yes |
| Department 69 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Evan P. Kirvin | Yes |
| Department 70 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Carolyn M. Caietti | Yes |
| Department 72 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Marcella O. McLaughlin | Yes |
| Department 73 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Michael D. Washington | Yes |
| Department 74 (C-74) | Central Division, Hall of Justice, 6th floor. The construction defect department for the Central Division. Two independent supports, and the draft overstated one of them: the policy PDF itself carries a Construction Defect Cases section covering e-filing, the standardized case management order, CMO timelines, naming of new parties and trial dates, and the Civil Division construction defect page links this department's policy under the generic label Department Policies and Procedures. What that page does NOT do is name Department 74. It says only that a construction defect case may be assigned to a department designated to hear such cases in the Central or North Division. The draft's phrasing that the page routes construction defect cases to C-74 reads more into the page than it says. | Hon. Blaine K. Bowman | Yes |
| Department 75 | Central Division, Hall of Justice | Hon. Euketa Oliver | Yes |
| Department 201 (C-201) | Central Division, Central Courthouse. Unlawful detainer department, listed as such on the court's policy index and on the unlawful detainer hearings roster. Civil, so within scope. | Hon. Rachel L. Jensen | Not addressed |
| Department 2101 (C-2101) | Central Division, Central Courthouse. Civil independent calendar, confirmed on the court's Civil Independent Calendar Hearings roster. | Hon. Robert C. Longstreth | Yes |
| Department 2102 (C-2102) | Central Division, Central Courthouse. Limited civil and unlawful detainer, confirmed on both the limited civil and unlawful detainer hearings rosters. Civil, so within scope. | Hon. Todd F. Stevens | Yes |
San Francisco County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 206 | Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco | Hon. Rochelle C. East | Not addressed |
| Department 501 | Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco | Hon. Charles F. Haines | Not addressed |
| Department 506 | Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco | Hon. Murlene J. Randle | Not addressed |
Santa Barbara County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anacapa Division, Department 3 (South County, Santa Barbara) | Not stated | Judge Thomas P. Anderle | Not stated |
| Anacapa Division, Department 4 (South County, Santa Barbara) | Not stated | Not published | Not stated |
| Anacapa Division, Department 5 (South County, Santa Barbara) | Not stated | Judge Colleen K. Sterne | Not stated |
| Santa Maria Cook Division, Department SM1 (North County) | Not stated | Not published | Not stated |
| Santa Maria Cook Division, Department SM2 (North County) | Not stated | Judge James F. Rigali | Not stated |
| Santa Maria Cook Division, Department SM4 (North County) | Not stated | Not published | Not stated |
Santa Clara County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 3 | Downtown Superior Courthouse (DTS), 191 North First Street, San Jose. The PDF names the courthouse as DTS and gives no street address; the address is the court's published DTS address. | Hon. Panteha E. Saban | Yes |
| Department 5 | Downtown Superior Courthouse (DTS), 191 North First Street, San Jose. The PDF names DTS and gives no street address. | Hon. Frederick S. Chung | Yes |
| Department 8 (Complex Civil Litigation) | Downtown Superior Courthouse, 191 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. Named in section I of the Guidelines with the courtroom clerk and phone number. | Hon. Elizabeth C. Peterson | Not addressed |
| Department 22 (Complex Civil Litigation) | Old Courthouse, 161 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. Named in section I of the Guidelines with the courtroom clerk and phone number. | Hon. Beth McGowen | Not addressed |
Santa Cruz County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department A | Watsonville Courthouse, 1 Second Street, Room 300, Watsonville | Hon. Rebecca Connolly | Not addressed |
| Department B | Watsonville Courthouse, 1 Second Street, Watsonville | Hon. Denine Guy | Not addressed |
Solano County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department 3 | Hall of Justice, 600 Union Ave, Fairfield (Courtroom 301) | Hon. Stephen Gizzi | Not addressed |
| Department 7 | Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas St, Fairfield (Courtroom II) | Hon. Tim P. Kam | Not addressed |
| Department 7 (second published instruction, missed by the draft) | Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas St, Fairfield (Courtroom II) | Hon. Tim P. Kam | Not addressed |
| Department 8 | Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas St, Fairfield (Courtroom I) | Hon. Wendy G. Getty | Not addressed |
| Department 8 (second published order) | Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas St, Fairfield (Courtroom I) | Not named | Not addressed |
| Department 22 | Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas St, Fairfield (Courtroom III). Split civil and probate calendar. | Hon. Alesia Jones | Not addressed |
Sutter County
| Department | Courthouse | Judge as published | Binder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtroom 1. This is the court's civil trial courtroom. Sutter assigns no numbered civil department and publishes no department-level policy for it. | Sutter County Superior Courthouse, 1175 Civic Center Blvd, Yuba City, CA 95993. Confirmed the court's only location from the Locations and Contact Info page, which carries one address and one Get Directions link. | Not published | Yes |
Counties with no published department order
The other 44 counties are on the county comparison. For most of them the county rule fixes every trial document and its deadline, so there is nothing for a department to add. Each county page says which it is: whether the court publishes no department order, or whether none could be located, which are different findings.
Related: All counties compared · Trial countdown calculator