4th Appellate District History

Division Two of the Fourth District Court of Appeal is one of nine locations of the California State Courts of Appeal. The purpose of the Courts of Appeal is to assist the California Supreme Court in providing appellate review for the 58 county superior courts by deciding appeals from final judgments and appealable orders, as well as by ruling on extraordinary writ petitions such as habeas corpus and mandamus. District Courts of Appeal handle the bulk of the appellate work, which allows the Supreme Court to restrict its review to cases raising important questions of law or legal issues that have been decided inconsistently in different District Courts of Appeal.

Division Two is located in Riverside and hears appeals from the superior courts of Inyo, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. It is one of three geographically distinct divisions of the Fourth District Court of Appeal -- Division One is located in San Diego, and Division Three in Santa Ana. Together, the Fourth District includes the Southern California counties to the east and south of Los Angeles County, as well as Inyo County.

Division Two has seven justices who decide approximately 1,100 appeals and writ petitions annually by written opinion. The justices are assisted by more than 50 legal, clerical, administrative, and technical staff.