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Chapter VIII, Rules 8.1 to 8.9.2: pleadings complying with Rules 2.100-2.119, 2.256(b) and 3.1110 of the California Rules of Court and specifying the department number and hearing date (8.1.1); court appearances required at all hearings unless the matter has been recommended for approval, and remote appearances (8.2.1 to 8.2.2); matters proper to be submitted on the pleadings (8.2.3); hearing dates obtained after the Court's review, and law and motion dates pre-cleared and reserved (8.3.1 to 8.3.1.1); examiner's notes posted on the court's website, and continuances stipulated by counsel approved by the Court and of no less than seven (7) calendar days (8.3.2 to 8.3.2.2); a Mandatory Settlement Conference in any contested probate matter estimated at more than one (1) day (8.3.3); orders - production of a will, the contents of probate orders, continuing payments and ex parte proceedings (8.4 to 8.4.4); special administration, allegations re heirs or beneficiaries, wills and codicils as exhibits, proof of wills, declinations and consents, and multiple representatives (8.5 to 8.5.6); sales of real property (8.6 to 8.6.4); inventories, accounts and petitions for distribution (8.7 to 8.7.6); fees requested as a specific sum and extraordinary fees (8.8 to 8.8.4); and bonds and supporting documents in guardianship and conservatorship accounts (8.9 to 8.9.2).
California > Fifth Appellate District > Kern County > Superior Court of California, County of Kern
Chapter VIII. Probate Matters Rule 8.1 Pleadings (Effective 7/1/18) Rule 8.1.1 Forms of Documents Presented for Filing (Effective 1/1/06; rev. 7/1/09; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 7/1/15; rev. 1/1/17; rev. and renum. 7/1/18; rev. 1/1/23) (a) All pleadings shall comply with Rules 2.100-2.119, 2.256(b) and 3.1110 of the California Rules of Court. All documents and/or pleadings submitted in which a matter is set for hearing must specify the department number, hearing date, and time underneath the title of the document and/or pleading. (Effective 1/1/06; rev. 1/1/17) (b) Unless they are submitted by a self-represented party, exhibits must comply with Rule 3.1110(f), which requires electronic bookmarks with links. Where there is a single attachment or exhibit, the index requirement is inapplicable. Each page shall have page numbers to facilitate review by the Court. All documents must contain a titled cover sheet between attachments, schedules, and/or exhibits. (Effective 1/1/06; rev. 7/1/09; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 1/1/7; rev. 1/1/23) (c) Parties shall be required to provide an original and one (1) copy of all paper documents submitted for filing. (Effective 1/1/06; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 7/1/15; rev. 1/1/17; rev. 7/1/18) (d) Each person filing as a self-represented litigant shall file with the court a separate verified declaration regarding his or her residence address, if the residence is not the address of record in the proceeding. (Effective 7/1/18) (e) When a petition or other request for relief is presented to the court, the Probate Code section that allows the requested relief must appear below the title of the pleading. (Effective 7/1/18) Rule 8.2 Appearance Requirements (Effective 7/1/18) Rule 8.2.1 Court Appearances (Effective 7/1/18) Court appearances are required at all hearings unless the matter has been recommended for approval (see Rule 8.2.2). When an appearance is required, attorneys or unrepresented parties are expected to appear in person or by telephone, pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 3.670 and Local Rule 1.1.1. Rule 8.2.2 Remote Court Appearances (Effective 3/7/22; rev. 1/1/25; rev. 7/1/26) (a) Remote proceedings other than an evidentiary hearing or trial. A party wishing to appear remotely in the Probate Department in any proceedings other than an evidentiary hearing or trial, including case management conferences and motion hearings, is permitted to appear via CourtCall, LLC without advance notice to the court or other parties. By appearing remotely those persons will be deemed to have requested a remote appearance. Instructions for accessing CourtCall, LLC can be found on the court’s website. The probate judicial officer retains the discretion to require a party to appear in person at a conference, hearing, or proceedings, as authorized by Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75. (Effective 3/7/22; rev. 1/1/25) (b) Remote proceedings for an evidentiary hearing or trial. Remote proceedings for evidentiary hearings or trials in the Probate Department shall be noticed and conducted as authorized by Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75 and California Rules of Court, rule 3.672. (c) This rule shall be in effect until January 1, 2026. (Effective 3/7/22; rev. 1/1/25; rev. 7/1/26) Rule 8.2.3 Matters which are Proper to be Submitted on the Pleadings (PSP) (Effective 1/1/12; rev. 7/1/15; rev. 7/1/16; rev. and renum. 7/1/18; renum. 3/7/22) (a) Appearances are required on all petitions for appointment of conservators and guardians, confirmation of sale of real or personal property, approval of extraordinary fees, spousal property petitions, ex parte applications/petitions, and any petition to which an objection has been filed. For all other matters, if the matter is submitted properly, if all procedural requirements have been satisfied, and if the matter does not require discretionary consideration by the Probate Judicial Officer, the matter will be noted by the Probate Examiner's Office as “proper to be submitted on the pleadings” (PSP), and a court appearance will not be necessary. (Effective 1/1/12; renum. 7/1/18) (b) Special Procedural Requirements for PSP matters: A proposed Order shall be submitted concurrently with the petition. The Notice of Hearing-Decedent’s Estate or Trust (Judicial Council Form DE-120) or Notice of Petition to Administer Estate (Judicial Council Form DE- 121) for all matters submitted as PSP shall include the following legend in at least 10 point capitalized bold, highlighted, or different-colored font: (Effective 1/1/12; renum. 7/1/18) 1. THIS MATTER IS SUBMITTED AS “PROPER TO BE SUBMITTED ON THE PLEADINGS (PSP).” ALL MATTERS APPROVED AS PSP WILL BE GRANTED UNLESS YOU APPEAR AT THE HEARING AND OBJECT WHEN THE PSP CALENDAR IS CALLED. (c) Matters proper to be submitted on the pleadings are called by the court as a group at the time set for hearing. If there are no objections and no objectors present, and if the Probate Judicial Officer approves the petition without any additional requirement, the Order will be signed. If someone appears at the hearing to object, or if the Probate Judicial Officer does not approve the petition, a new hearing date will be set and a copy of the minute order will be mailed by the clerk to petitioner's counsel or petitioner in pro per. (Effective 1/1/12; rev. 7/1/15; renum. 7/1/18) (d) In the event an objection or attempted objection is made on the hearing date, but after the Order is signed, the Judicial Officer has the discretion to set aside such Order. (Effective 1/1/12; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.3 Settings, Assignments, and Continuances (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18; rev. 7/1/21; rev. 1/1/24) Rule 8.3.1 Obtaining a Hearing Date (Effective 1/1/06; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 7/1/15; rev. and renum. 7/1/18; rev. 7/1/21) Hearing dates are obtained once the petition or other document requiring a hearing has been reviewed by the Court. Rule 8.3.1.1 Reserving a Motion Date (Effective 1/1/24) All law and motion matters will be heard pursuant to applicable courtroom schedules. Hearing dates for regularly noticed law and motion proceedings in the Probate Department that are filed by attorneys shall be pre-cleared and reserved by calling the Probate Department at (661) 610-6901. All motions that are pre-cleared and reserved must be filed, and the motion filing fees paid within three (3) days of the date that the reservation is made. Failure to pay the filing fee and file the moving papers timely will result in the expiration of the reserved hearing date. Rule 8.3.2 Continuances (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 1/1/13; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.3.2.1 Matters Not Ready for Hearing (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 7/1/09; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 1/1/13; rev. 7/1/16; rev. and renum. 7/1/18) (a) All matters set for hearing are reviewed in advance by the probate examiner's office. Examiner’s notes (also known as “Probate Notes”) are posted on the Kern County Superior Court website as a “Comment” on each hearing. Any documents submitted to resolve examiner’s notes shall be filed by 9:00 a.m. two court days prior to the hearing date, or they may not be considered by the court, and the matter may be continued. (Effective 1/1/13; rev. 7/1/16) (b) On the call of the calendar, matters not ready for hearing normally may be dropped from calendar. A matter is considered not ready for hearing if notices, supplements, proofs of service, or other documentation curing all discrepancies other than strictly court determined matters are not filed prior to 9:00 a.m. at least two (2) court days before the hearing. (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 7/1/09; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 1/1/13, rev. 7/1/18) Rule 8.3.2.2 Continuances by Stipulation of Counsel (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10; renum. 1/1/13; renum. 7/1/18) All Continuances stipulated by Counsel shall be approved by the Court and are subject to appropriate filing fees and/or conditions set forth by the Court. Counsel cannot stipulate to a continuance of less than seven (7) calendar days. Rule 8.3.3 Mandatory Settlement Policy (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 1/1/13; renum. 7/1/18) A Mandatory Settlement Conference is required in any contested probate matter in which the estimated time of hearing is more than one (1) day. All Mandatory Settlement Conferences shall be conducted pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 3.1380. Rule 8.4 Orders (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.4.1 Order to Produce Will (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) A petition for an order to produce a will, together with the proposed order, must be submitted to the Probate Department for processing. Rule 8.4.2 Material to be Included in Probate Orders (Effective 7/1/03; rev. and renum. 7/1/18) (a) Orders shall contain the name of the judge presiding, the date of hearing and the department. All orders or decrees in probate matters must be complete in themselves, in that they shall set forth all matters actually passed on by the court, the relief granted, names of persons and descriptions of property involved with the same particularity required of judgments in civil matters. Probate orders should be so drawn that their general effect may be determined without reference to the petition on which they are based. (Effective 7/1/03; rev. and renum. 7/1/18) (b) All Proposed Orders and Orders must include identifying information on the last page of the order with a line for the Court’s signature. If the order contains riders or exhibits, the signature line provided for the judicial officer shall appear after all such exhibits, at the end of the complete document. Some portion of the contents of the order must appear on the page upon which the judge’s signature is affixed. (Effective 7/1/18) (c) While in orders setting accounts it is proper to use general language approving the account, the report and the acts reflected therein, it is not sufficient in any order to recite merely that the petition as presented is granted. (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.4.3 All Orders for Continuing Payments Must Have a Maximum Time Limit (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10, renum. 7/1/18) The court will not make orders for continuing family allowance payments to run until the further order of the court, but all such orders shall provide that payments shall commence as of a certain date and continue for a period not to exceed a specified number of months. Rule 8.4.4 Ex Parte Proceedings (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 7/1/15; rev. and renum. 7/1/18; rev. 1/1/24; rev. 7/1/25) (a) All Ex-Parte Petitions requesting that notice be dispensed with must be filed with the Court. The Court may grant or deny an Ex-Parte request or may set the matter for hearing and require notice to appropriate parties. (Effective 7/1/18) 1. Notice on Ex-Parte Hearings: Notice shall be given to all counsel, interested parties, and/or all opposing parties, if not represented by counsel, by 10:00 a.m. the court day before the scheduled hearing. (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10; rev. and renum 7/1/18) a) If notice cannot be given because the address of the person is unknown, the Ex-Parte Compliance Declaration shall set forth the efforts taken to obtain the address and efforts to give notice to each person whose address is unknown. (Effective 7/1/18) 2. Compliance: Compliance of the notice requirements shall be stated and filed on an Ex-Parte Compliance Declaration. (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10; renum. 7/1/18) 3. Submission: All required paperwork for the Ex-Parte hearing shall be returned to the court clerk by 12:00 noon the court day before the scheduled hearing. (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10; renum. 7/1/18) 4. An ex parte application for appointment of temporary guardian may be decided on the pleadings submitted, without notice and without a hearing, provided the ex parte application makes the requisite showing of irreparable harm, immediate danger, or any other statutory basis for granting relief ex parte (see California Rules of Court, rule 3.1202(c)) and makes the requisite showing that, for reasons specified, the applicant should not be required to inform the opposing party (see California Rule of Court, rule, 3.1204(b)(3)) and rule 7.1012(e)). (Effective 7/1/25) (b) All Ex-Parte Applications and Stipulations shall be accompanied by a separate order. It is not sufficient for such an order to state that the application has been granted. (Effective 7/1/18) (c) Contents for Filing Ex-Parte on Temporary Petitions: The moving party shall file the Ex-Parte Application, and Temporary Petition, along with the General Petition, if not previously filed, and all accompanying attachments as applicable, with proper case title captioned; the relief requested; a declaration in support of application; compliance declaration; a proposed order; and, the applicable fees. (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 7/1/15; rev. and renum. 7/1/18) (d) Stipulation to Temporary Judge: Ex parte applications and petitions assigned to the Probate Department may be heard and decided by (1) a Commissioner of the Superior Court, acting as a temporary judge pursuant to California Constitution, Article VI, section 21 and 22 and Code of Civil Procedure Code section 259, for All Purposes; or (2) a temporary judge, who is a probate research attorney who meets all the requirements set forth in California Rules of Court Rule 2.812 to serve as a temporary judge. Except as provided in Code of Civil Procedure section 259, subdivisions (a), (b), (c), (e), (f), and (g), parties are required to stipulate to a commissioner hearing a matter acting as a temporary judge pursuant to California Constitution, Article VI section 21 and 22 and Code of Civil Procedure section 259(d), and to an attorney acting as a temporary judge. If the parties subject to the ex parte application or petition have not appeared in the case before, the moving party’s filing of the ex parte application or petition will constitute their stipulation to the case being heard and decided by a temporary judge unless the moving party makes clear they object. (Effective 1/1/24) The moving party must provide notice to the responding party or parties that a temporary judge may hear and rule on the application or petition. Such notice must be submitted with the ex parte application or petition on the form available on the court’s website. If the responding party or parties do not object, their failure to object will also constitute such a stipulation. (Effective 1/1/24) If all parties are consenting to an order requested in an expedited court proceeding, such consent will be deemed to include an agreement to a temporary judge ruling on the requested order. (Effective 1/1/24) Rule 8.5 Appointment of Executors and Administrators (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.5.1 Special Administration (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/06; renum. 7/1/18) (a) A petition for Special Administration of an Estate will not be accepted for filing without concurrent presentation of a Petition for General Administration of the Estate, except upon good cause shown. (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/06) (b) A petition for special letters of administration ordinarily will not be granted without notice to the surviving spouse, the person nominated as executor, and any other person the court determines to be entitled to notice. (Effective 1/1/06) Rule 8.5.2 Allegations in Petitions Re Heirs or Beneficiaries (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) (a) The nominated trustee of a trust should be listed as a devisee or legatee and the individual beneficiaries of the trust need not be listed or noticed unless the sole trustee is also the estate representative. (b) If an heir, devisee or legatee dies after the decedent, and a personal representative has been appointed for said person, the deceased heir, devisee or legatee should be listed in care of the name and address of the personal representative. If no personal representative has been appointed, the deceased heir, devisee or legatee should be listed as deceased, the fact that no personal representative has been appointed should be alleged, and the known heirs, devisees and legatees of said deceased person should be listed, or if none are known, the last known address of the deceased person should be listed. Rule 8.5.3 Wills and Codicils as Exhibits to Petition (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 7/1/09; renum. 7/1/18) When a Petition for Probate of Will or Codicil, or both, is filed, it shall have attached, where applicable, marked as an exhibit, a copy of the document(s) being offered for probate. If the will or codicil is handwritten, a typewritten copy of the document must also accompany the petition. The original will must be lodged with the court. Exemplified copies of any foreign will lodged elsewhere will be required as an exhibit to the petition. Rule 8.5.4 Proof of Wills by Affidavit or Declaration (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 1/1/10; renum. 7/1/18) (a) When Court Appearance Required. Written proof as to the admissibility of each testamentary document must be submitted or an appearance is required. (b) Multiple Testamentary Instruments. Each proffered instrument shall be proved by a separate affidavit or declaration. Rule 8.5.5 Declinations and Consents to Serve (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) (a) It is insufficient to allege merely that the person named in the decedent’s will as executor thereof declines to act as such. In addition, a written declination to act, signed by such person, must be filed with the court. (b) It is insufficient to allege merely that a non-California bank or trust company named as executor is not qualified to act as such in California since it has the right to qualify to do business in California. Instead, its declination to act should be alleged and an executed declination should be obtained and filed. (c) If a Petition for Letters to be issued to two or more executors is filed in which one or more of the named executors for whom letters are sought is not petitioner, a consent to act, signed by each non-petitioning executor for whom letters are sought, must be filed with the court. Rule 8.5.6 Multiple Representatives (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) When multiple representatives are appointed by an order which directs that letters (testamentary or administration) shall be issued to them, the clerk will not allow less than all to qualify and have letters issued separately. If qualification of less than all is desired, it must be so provided in the order of appointment. All qualified representatives must execute the same original letters. Rule 8.6 Sales (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.6.1 Published Notice for Sale of Real Estate (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) If Notice of Sale is published, any sale must be in accordance with its terms. If a Petition for Confirmation of Sale is filed alleging the sale took place prior to the date stated in the published notice, the sale cannot be confirmed and new Notice of Sale must be published unless the court, in its discretion permits a supplement to the petition changing the sale date to a date after the date stated in the published notice, correcting the clerical error. The Court requires that the specific date of sale be alleged in the return of sale and petition for its confirmation. Rule 8.6.2 Sale of Real Property When Buyer Assumes Encumbrance (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Except under extraordinary circumstances alleged in the report of sale, sales of real estate will not ordinarily be confirmed where the buyer assumes or takes subject to an existing encumbrance if the estate is subject to a continuing liability on the encumbrance. Rule 8.6.3 Appearance of Attorney for the Estate Required (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) In Petitions for Confirmation of Sale of Real or Personal Property where bidding is authorized, the Court will not proceed with the confirmation of the sale in the absence of the attorney of record except in those cases where the administrator, executor, guardian or conservator is in propria persona. Rule 8.6.4 Conditional Sales of Real Property (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) The Court will not approve a sale of real property which is conditioned upon the occurrence of a subsequent event (such as change in zoning or obtaining approval from an environmental control board) unless unusual and extraordinary circumstances exist and the necessity and advantage to the estate are shown to the Court. Rule 8.7 Inventory, Accounts, Reports, and Petitions for Distribution (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.7.1 Fees Must Be Stated Even Though Account Waived (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) In accounts or in Petitions for Distribution accompanied by a Waiver of Accounting, the report must state the amount of the administrator’s or executor’s commissions, and attorney’s fees. It must also set forth the estate accounted for and the basis for the calculation. Rule 8.7.2 Description of Distributee (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) (a) The names, ages, relationships and shares of all persons who are affected by the petition must appear in the Petition for Final Distribution. Adult persons may be designated as “adult” or “legal” and for minors, the birth date shall be stated. (b) If a trust is established in which property will be distributed to a beneficiary upon reaching a given age, the petition must allege the date of birth of the distributee. Rule 8.7.3 Notice to Prior Representative or Attorney (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) If there has been a change of personal representative or fiduciary or a substitution of counsel, notice of hearing must be given to such prior representative, fiduciary or counsel of any probate petition in which fees or commissions are requested by the present personal representative, fiduciary or counsel unless: (a) A waiver of notice executed by the prior personal representative, fiduciary or counsel is on file; (b) An agreement on the allocation of fees and/or commissions is on file or included in the petition; or (c) The file and the petition demonstrate that the fees and/or commissions of the prior personal representative, fiduciary or counsel have been previously provided for and allowed by the court. Rule 8.7.4 Documents to be on file before Order for Distribution of Minor’s Request (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 7/1/09; renum. 7/1/18) When distribution is to be made to a minor, the petition must allege whether distribution is to be made to the court appointed guardian or to other persons under Probate Code section 3401 or under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act. All appropriate certified copies of court orders and Letters of Appointment or the original written assurance under Probate Code section 3401 must be filed with the Petition for Distribution. A Probate Code section 3909(b) instrument will be required to complete the transfer. Rule 8.7.5 Decrees of Distribution Establishing Testamentary Trusts (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Upon Petition for Distribution, the court must determine whether a valid trust has been created by a Will, determine the scope and terms of the trust, and order distribution of the trust property to the trustee. The terms of the trust shall be set forth in the petition and decree in such a manner as to give effect to the conditions existing at the time distribution is ordered. The pertinent provisions shall be set forth in the present tense and in the third person rather than quoting the Will verbatim. Rule 8.7.6 Receipts on Distribution (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Receipts for any property received by a distributee shall be signed by him or her personally. The Court will not accept receipts signed by an attorney-in-fact, except where there is a power of attorney. Rule 8.8 Attorney Fees and Personal Representative Commissions in Decedent’s Estate (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.8.1 Amount of Fees to be Specific (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) In all petitions requesting fees, both ordinary and extraordinary, a specific sum shall be requested, not merely “a reasonable amount”. Rule 8.8.2 Basis for Statutory Fees Must Be Stated Even Though Account Waived (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) In accounts or in Petitions for Distribution accompanied by a Waiver of Accounting, the report must state the amount of statutory fees payable and set forth the basis for the calculation. Rule 8.8.3 Format for Requesting Extraordinary Fees (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Application for compensation for extraordinary services will not be considered unless the caption and the prayer of the petition and the notice to affected parties contain a reference to such application for extraordinary fees. All requests for compensation for services for extraordinary fees must be itemized. Rule 8.8.4 Additional Supporting Documents (Effective 7/1/09; renum. 7/1/18) The court may require production of additional documentation in support of an account by the personal representative in accordance with Probate Code section 10901. Rule 8.9 Accounts and Reports/Guardianships and Conservatorships (Effective 7/1/03; renum. 7/1/18) Rule 8.9.1 Personal Property Bond (Effective 7/1/03; rev. 7/1/09; rev. 1/1/13; renum. 7/1/18) Reports of conservators and guardians should reference the amount of the current bond and state whether additional bond is necessary to cover unblocked personal property plus one year’s estimated income, and the existence of any facts that justify an additional bond. The report should also show any blocked bank accounts. The report must contain the current address and whereabouts of the conservatee and conservator and describe the conservatee’s status and condition. Rule 8.9.2 Additional Supporting Documents (Effective 7/1/09; renum. 7/1/18) The Court may require production of additional documentation in support of an account by the personal representative in accordance with Probate Code section 10901.
Chapter VIII. Probate Matters Rule 8.1 Pleadings (Effective 7/1/18) Rule 8.1.1 Forms of Documents Presented for Filing (Effective 1/1/06; rev. 7/1/09; rev. 1/1/10; rev. 7/1/15; rev. 1/1/17; rev. and renum. 7/1/18; rev. 1/1/23) (a) All pleadings shall comply with Rules 2.100-2.119, 2.256(b) and 3.1110 of the California Rules of Court. All documents and/or pleadings submitted in which a matter is se
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-14 (California T4 Kern build 2026-10-14) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-kern/docs/general/local-rules-court-effective-7126.pdf (the court's rule book, its cover “LOCAL RULES OF COURT SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF KERN July 1, 2026”, as fetched 2026-10-14; 1712899 bytes, sha256 374bf0cba1a66f90bd6bea59ca9523d5149362ef14f0d1edc454e76ac5738a83; 138 pages; this part PDF pages 110 to 118, printed pages 109 to 117) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow): the rules (PDF pages 14 to 128) composed as one text and cut at the chapter headings (“Chapter I. General Rules” to “Chapter IX. Court Communication Protocol for Domestic Violence and Child Custody Orders”) and, in Chapters I, III, VI, VII and VIII, at rule or section headings (“Rule 1.8”, “Rule 1.12”, “Rule 3.14”, “Rule 6.10”, “Rule 7.4”, “Section Three – Proceedings”, “Section Six – Attorney Competency Standards”, “Rule 8.10”), each matched once as a whole line; every page's running header (“SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF KERN”, named) and printed page number (“13” to “127”) removed as chrome - 230 chrome lines; lines reflowed into the rules' paragraphs, each chapter heading, rule heading, Preamble, section heading and lettered or numbered subdivision starting a line; Rules 1.17 and 1.21's ruled tables (PDF pages 32 and 33, 38 and 39) set a row a line, its cells left to right (the composer's table rows); the strike report (review/strike-report-2026-10-14.txt) finds no struck run; 27 whitespace-only fixes (build/book-fixes.json: 7 line breaks the reflow left before a reference or an inline list item at the paragraph's own margin, rejoined; 19 runs of rows the reflow ran together, split - Rule 1.8.1's two fee tables and the court's mailing address, Rule 3.3.1's regional courts and their telephone numbers, Rule 3.6(a)'s scale of fees, and the side heading “Preamble” of Chapters VI and VII; 1 word the page break split at its hyphen, closed up - “20-calendar-day”); the vertical-gap, short-line, page-break, false-break, structural-break and row-join audits (review/book-gap-audit-2026-10-14.txt, review/book-short-lines-2026-10-14.txt and its run after the fixes, review/book-extra-audits-2026-10-14.txt) list candidates read one by one (build/book_fixes.py) - the rest kept as printed; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass. The cover (PDF page 1), the table of contents (2 to 13) and the index (129 to 138) belong to no card; Appendix A, a separate document, is decided in the document catalog (held for the table lane, with a review task).
Division XI: information forms for data processing (Rule 11.2); required action - action taken on all calendared cases and a future date always set (Rule 11.19); and pro tem judges - an attorney named as a plaintiff in a civil or small claims case may not sit as a judge pro-tem during the case or within six months following its resolution, nor one named as a defendant in two or more such cases (Rule 11.22). Rules 11.1, 11.3 to 11.5, 11.7 to 11.18, 11.20 and 11.21 are repealed, and Rule 11.6 (voluntary arbitration; see Local Rule 10.2) was repealed and renumbered.
Duval County's indigent-defense and magistration rules under the Texas Fair Defense Act (S.B. 7): who may be booked into the county jail and on what paper; arrest-case numbering; presentment to a magistrate within 48 hours (art. 15.16); the magistrate's warnings, counsel inquiry, interpreter duty, indigence determination and appointment of counsel within 24 hours of a request; the alternative appointment plan under art. 26.04(g)-(h) with annual applications, seven attorney categories (capital, first and second degree, third degree/state jail/misdemeanor, competency, appeals, post-conviction, extradition), CLE and experience standards, random rotation within each category, written acceptance within 48 hours, first contact by the end of the next working day, replacement and suspension of counsel, fee applications within five days of completing services and the compensation attachment ($500 pleas; $175/$150 hourly; $1,400 per jury-trial day; appellate caps); bail schedules by offense class with a personal bond office (fee $20 or 3%), pre-trial supervision and revocation hearings within two working days; arraignment settings and notice; repeal of conflicting rules.