Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.532 · Chapter 9. Proceedings in the Supreme Court

Filing, finality, and modification of decision

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)

(a) Filing the decision

The clerk/executive officer of the Supreme Court must promptly file all opinions and orders issued by the court and promptly send copies showing the filing date to the parties and, when relevant, to the lower court or tribunal.

(b) Finality of decision

(1) Except as provided in (2), a Supreme Court decision is final 30 days after filing unless:

(A) The court orders a shorter period; or

(B) Before the 30-day period or any extension expires the court orders one or more extensions, not to exceed a total of 60 additional days.

(2) The following Supreme Court decisions are final on filing:

(A) The denial of a petition for review of a Court of Appeal decision;

(B) A disposition ordered under rule 8.528(b), (d), or (e);

(C) The denial of a petition for a writ within the court's original jurisdiction without issuance of an alternative writ or order to show cause; and

(D) The denial of a petition for writ of supersedeas.

The Supreme Court may modify a decision as provided in rule 8.264(c).

Notes and commentary — not rule text

History

(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2018.)

(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2007.)

(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2007.)

Rule 8.532 amended effective January 1, 2018; repealed and adopted as rule 29.4 effective January 1, 2003; previously amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007.

Advisory Committee Comment

Subdivision (b). Subdivision (b)(2)(A) recognizes the general rule that the denial of a petition for review of a Court of Appeal decision is final on filing. Subdivision (b)(2)(B)-(D) recognizes several additional types of Supreme Court decisions that are final on filing. Thus (b)(2)(B) recognizes that a dismissal, a transfer, and a retransfer under (b), (d), and (e), respectively, of rule 8.528 are decisions final on filing. A remand under rule 8.528(c) is not a decision final on filing because it is not a separately filed order; rather, as part of its appellate judgment at the end of its opinion in such cases the Supreme Court simply orders the cause remanded to the Court of Appeal for disposition of the remaining issues in the appeal.

Subdivision (b)(2)(C) recognizes that an order denying a petition for a writ within the court's original jurisdiction without issuance of an alternative writ or order to show cause is final on filing. The provision reflects the settled Supreme Court practice, since at least 1989, of declining to file petitions for rehearing in such matters. (See, e.g., In re Hayes (S004421) Minutes, Cal. Supreme Ct., July 28, 1989 ["The motion to vacate this court's order of May 18, 1989 [denying a petition for habeas corpus without opinion] is denied. Because the California Rules of Court do not authorize the filing of a petition for rehearing of such an order, the alternate request to consider the matter as a petition for rehearing is denied."].)

Subdivision (b)(2)(D) recognizes that an order denying a petition for writ of supersedeas is final on filing.

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/eight/rule8_532
Text hash: sha256 10de6306cf82fad9df44ce85fcf2f88b6c1ff65332b0906cab2a63790c2ef787
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

This rule cites

Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.

California Rules of Court

Cited by 5 provisions

Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.532. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.

California Rules of Court

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.