Current News Releases

Judges of the Superior Court of Orange County unanimously elected Hon. Thomas J. Borris as presiding judge and Hon. David A. Thompson as the assistant presiding judge at an election held Wednesday, September 1, announced Presiding Judge Kim G. Dunning. Both will begin their two-year term in January 2011, when the terms of the current presiding judge and assistant presiding judge expire.

Alan Carlson received the Robert B. Yegge Award for outstanding contribution in the field of judicial administration from the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association at a ceremony held August 5, in San Francisco, California. The award is given in memory of Robert B. Yegge, former Dean of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and one of the pioneers in the field of judicial administration.

Westminster, CA - Beginning June 14, 2010, appointments for traffic or a minor offense court hearing at the West Justice Center can be reserved at least four days in advance of the requested hearing. Simply schedule an appointment online at the Superior Court Web site: www.occourts.org or by phone at 877-872-2122.

Santa Ana – Jerry L. Powell has been selected as the foreperson for the 2010/2011 Grand Jury which will begin a one-year term July 1, 2010, announced Assistant Presiding Judge Thomas J. Borris, Chair of the Grand Jury Recruitment/Selection Committee.

The 19 members and 11 alternates of the 2010-2011 Orange County Grand Jury were selected today from a drawing held in Dept. C1 of the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana.

The Superior Court of California, County of Orange, will offer a new Electronic Filing system (eFiling) and Electronic Service (eService) for civil cases that is easy to use and uploads documents directly to the court's case management system.

The Superior Court of California, County of Orange, no longer will file and hear civil matters at the Harbor Justice Center-Newport Beach Facility. Effective April 1, 2010, civil cases previously heard at Newport Beach will be transferred to the Superior Court's justice center in Laguna Hills.

Orange County Superior Court now offers a Web-based solution providing attorneys representing defendants in criminal and traffic cases with expanded online access to case information. Defense attorneys, whether retained or appointed to represent a defendant in a criminal case, can quickly access information about the case through the Court's Web site. By simply clicking on the case link, attorneys can view all aspects of the case including defendant demographics, filings, hearing information, minutes, and, if convicted, sentencing information.

The Superior Court of Orange County now offers a new interactive computer telephone option that quickly and efficiently assists people in paying fines or answering their questions about traffic and criminal cases.