Cal. Rules of Court, rule 10.463 · Chapter 7. Minimum Education Requirements, Expectations, and Recommendations
Education requirements for family court judges and subordinate judicial officers
Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
Each judge or subordinate judicial officer whose primary assignment is to hear family law matters, or who regularly hears family law matters regardless of their primary assignment, must complete the following education:
(a) Basic family law education
(1) Within one year of beginning a family law assignment, the judge or subordinate judicial officer must complete a basic educational program on California family law and procedure designed primarily for judicial officers. A judge or subordinate judicial officer who has completed the basic educational program need not complete the basic educational program again.
(2) All other judicial officers who regularly hear family law matters, including retired judges who sit on court assignment, must complete appropriate family law education.
(b) Continuing family law education
The judge or subordinate judicial officer must complete a periodic update on new developments in California family law and procedure at least once each education cycle.
(c) Other family law education
To the extent that judicial time and resources are available, the judge or subordinate judicial officer must complete additional educational programs on other aspects of family law including interdisciplinary subjects relating to the family.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
History
(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2023; adopted as (1) effective January 1, 1992; previously amended and lettered effective January 1, 2003; previously amended effective January 1, 2008.)
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2023; adopted as (2) effective January 1, 1992; previously amended and lettered effective January 1, 2003; previously amended effective January 1, 2008.)
(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2008; adopted as (3) effective January 1, 1992; previously amended and lettered effective January 1, 2003.)
Rule 10.463 amended effective January 1, 2023; adopted as rule 1200 effective January 1, 1992; previously amended and renumbered as rule 5.30 effective January 1, 2003, and as 10.463 effective January 1, 2008.
Advisory Committee Comment
In determining what constitutes "appropriate" education, judges and subordinate judicial officers should determine the number of hours of education on family law matters that is adequate for their assignment, taking into account the size of the court, the nature of their assignment, the mix of assignments, and other factors.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
- Official file
- https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/ten/rule10_463
- Text hash
- sha256 2809e84690dea13865a6d70a65bba80fa7f1f6bcdba80e245538f4c13d3882f4
- Composed by
- compose_crc.py 2026-10-22: the Judicial Council's rule pages read paragraph by paragraph; verify_crc.py's second reading of the Council's per-title PDFs finds every paragraph
Cited by 3 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Court, rule 10.463. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
California Rules of Court
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 10.452Minimum education requirements, expectations, and recommendationsPrinted as rule 10.463
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 10.462Minimum education requirements and expectations for trial court judges and subordinate judicial officersPrinted as rule 10.463
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 10.469Judicial education recommendations for justices, judges, and subordinate judicial officersPrinted as rule 10.463
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.