Loading…
Rule 21 (Rules 21.1 to 21.9): appeals and writ proceedings in the Appellate Division (Rule 21.1); forms, with no courtesy copies required (Rule 21.2); appointment of counsel for misdemeanor appellants on form CR-133 through the Bar Association of San Francisco's Lawyer's Referral Service (Rule 21.3); applications and motions, including extensions of time (Rule 21.4); relief from default (Rule 21.5); electronic recordings as the record of oral proceedings in civil and traffic and infraction appeals (Rules 21.6 and 21.7); failure to file an appellate brief (Rule 21.8); and oral argument - generally 10 minutes per side in substantive civil and criminal matters and 5 minutes in traffic and infraction matters (Rule 21.9).
California > First Appellate District > San Francisco County > Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
21 Appellate Division 21.1 Application of Rule. The rules in this division apply to: (1) Appeals in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court; and (2) Writ proceedings, motions, applications, and petitions in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. These rules are intended to supplement the relevant statutes and California Rules of Court, including but not limited to Rules 8.880-8.936. All counsel and unrepresented parties must comply with these rules. 21.2 Forms and Courtesy Copies. The Appellate Division strongly prefers filings which substantially comply with associated Judicial Council forms. Parties are not required to submit courtesy copies of filings. 21.3 Appointments of Counsel. The Appellate Division shall appoint counsel to any defendant appealing a misdemeanor conviction who meets the applicable standards for appointment. (CRC 8.851.) Applications for appointment shall be made on Judicial Council Form CR-133. The Appellate Division, in its discretion, may appoint counsel to any misdemeanor defendant to respond to the People’s appeal of a decision made in that defendant’s criminal case. Upon receipt of application for appointment of counsel, the Appellate Division shall submit the relevant materials to the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Lawyer’s Referral Service. The Lawyer’s Referral Service shall recommend appellate counsel for appointment. Upon receipt of recommendation, the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division may decide the request without a hearing or may schedule a hearing before the panel at his or her discretion. 21.4 Applications and Motions. The Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division may rule on applications or may schedule the matter for hearing before the panel at his or her discretion. (CRC 8.806.) All applications must: (1) state facts showing good cause to grant the application; and (2) identify any previous applications relating to the same subject filed by any party in the same appeal or writ proceeding. Applications for extension of time to file records, briefs, or other documents must also provide: (1) the due date of the document to be filed; (2) the length of the extension requested; and (3) whether any earlier extensions have been granted and, if so, how long the extensions were. Applications to extend time must include a proposed order. The court may rule on a motion at any time after an opposition or other response is filed or the time to oppose has expired. (CRC 8.808(b).) On a party's request or its own motion, the Appellate Division may place a motion on calendar for a hearing. 21.5 Relief from Default. For good cause, the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, or his or her designee, may relieve a party from a default for any failure to comply with these rules. 21.6 Record on Appeal – Civil Cases. The Appellate Division permits electronic recordings of the trial court proceedings to be the record of oral proceedings in civil appeals. (CRC 8.835; 8.830(a)(2)(B).) 21.7 Record on Appeal – Traffic and Infraction Cases. The Appellate Division permits official electronic recordings of the trial court proceedings to be the record of the oral proceedings in traffic and infraction appeals. (CRC 8.910(a)(2)(C); 8.917(c).) 21.8 Failure to File Appellate Brief. A. An appellant’s failure to timely file an opening brief in a civil, traffic, or infraction case shall constitute grounds for the dismissal of the appeal. Appellate counsel’s failure to timely file an opening brief in a criminal case shall constitute grounds for appointment of new counsel. B. If the appellant fails to timely file an opening brief, the Appellate Division shall file and send a notice of failure to file an opening brief. If the appellant fails to file the opening brief within the additional time prescribed, the Appellate Division may dismiss the appeal without a hearing or may issue an order to show cause why the appeal should not be dismissed. C. If a respondent fails to timely file a respondent’s brief, the Appellate Division will decide the appeal on the record from the trial court, the appellant’s opening brief, and any oral argument. 21.9 Oral Argument. A. Oral Argument. Time for oral argument shall be set by the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, but is generally: 1) Substantive Civil and Criminal Matters – 10 minutes per side. Appellant may reserve time for rebuttal prior to argument. 2) Traffic, Infraction, and Other Matters – 5 minutes, unless otherwise noted. B. Conduct of Oral Argument and Waiver. Oral argument will be held on the date and time set out in the calendar notice. The Appellate Division will hear from the parties consistent with CRC 8.885(e). A party who fails to appear at oral argument as scheduled is deemed to have waived oral argument. (See CRC 8.885(d).) If less than all parties to the appeal waive argument, the Appellate Division may hear argument from any non-waiving party. Adopted: January 1, 2020 Last Revised: January 1, 2024
21 Appellate Division 21.1 Application of Rule. The rules in this division apply to: (1) Appeals in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court; and (2) Writ proceedings, motions, applications, and petitions in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. These rules are intended to supplement the relevant statutes and California Rules of Court, including but not limited to Rules 8.880-8.936. Al
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-08 (California T4 San Francisco build 2026-10-08) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-san-francisco/docs/local-rules/final-proposed-changes-lrsf-effective-july-1-2026-submitted.pdf (the court's rule book, “Uniform Local Rules of Court, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Effective: July 1, 1998, Revised: July 1, 2026”, as fetched 2026-10-08; 2706376 bytes, sha256 82645c96954e6d459832c1ee68c5a042ff7f90ebc58fceb9a82fc7c5575631ad; 251 pages) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow) over the rule body (PDF pages 3 to 235): each page's running header (“Local Rules of Court San Francisco Superior Court” and “Rule N”) and footer (“Effective: ...; Revised ...” and the printed page number) removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the rules' paragraphs; the one struck letter in the book (the final “s” of “means” in Rule 2.11(A)(5), read on the page image) set aside as chrome with the composer's strike_out, so the card reads the rule as amended; four rule headings set on their own lines and 23 paragraph breaks the reflow made inside sentences rejoined (whitespace-only fixes); the body's one soft hyphen (Rule 12.15's “JV-” at a line end) read as the hyphen it prints and the reflow's space after it removed; Rule 11's two tables (the timeshare percentages and their definitions) set row by row (the same characters); the body cut at the rule headings, which reassemble it; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass. The cover, the table of contents and the index belong to no rule. Review note: The Appellate Division page links “San Francisco Local Rules, Appellate Division 15.8”; the Appellate Division's rules are this Rule 21 (Rule 15 governs appeals to the Court of Appeal).
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.