Cal. Rules of Court, rule 9.16 · Chapter 3. Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings
Grounds for review of State Bar Court decisions in the Supreme Court
Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
(a) Grounds
The Supreme Court will order review of a decision of the State Bar Court recommending disbarment or suspension from practice when it appears:
(1) Necessary to settle important questions of law;
(2) The State Bar Court has acted without or in excess of jurisdiction;
(3) Petitioner did not receive a fair hearing;
(4) The decision is not supported by the weight of the evidence; or
(5) The recommended discipline is not appropriate in light of the record as a whole.
(b) Denial of review
Denial of review of a decision of the State Bar Court is a final judicial determination on the merits and the recommendation of the State Bar Court will be filed as an order of the Supreme Court.
Notes and commentary — not rule text
History
(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted by the Supreme Court effective February 1, 1991.)
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted by the Supreme Court effective February 1, 1991.)
Rule 9.16 amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007; adopted as rule 954 effective February 1, 1991.
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/nine/rule9_16
- Text hash
- sha256 c726f1a695df7fa6e83f680e3c3e99c7b433e5dff48794d64e8b100bd53751fe
- 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 2 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Court, rule 9.16. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
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.