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§ 133.Days on which court may be held and judicial business transacted

Title 1. Organization and Jurisdiction · Chapter 6. General Provisions Respecting Courts of Justice · Article 3. Judicial Holidays · Enacted 1985 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 133 states the general rule that California courts may be held and judicial business transacted on any day, except as the following articles on judicial holidays otherwise provide.

Full Text of § 133

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Courts of justice may be held and judicial business transacted on any day, except as provided in this article.

Plain-English Summary

Section 133 is a one-sentence rule that sets the default before the rest of the chapter narrows it. Courts can conduct business on any day of the year unless a specific exception elsewhere in the same article says otherwise. That default matters because it puts the burden on the holiday-related sections that follow, Sections 134 through 136, to spell out exactly when and how that general availability gets restricted.

Read on its own, Section 133 might suggest courts never close. In practice, the judicial holiday scheme in the sections right after it does most of the restricting, closing courts for ordinary business on the days Section 135 designates as judicial holidays, while Section 134 carves out a handful of functions — like receiving a jury verdict — that can still happen even on those closed days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a California court conduct business on a weekend?

Yes, in general. Section 133 allows courts to be held and judicial business transacted on any day, subject only to the exceptions the following sections on judicial holidays provide.

Does Section 133 mean courts are always open?

Not entirely. It sets the general default of availability, but Sections 134 through 136 carve out judicial holidays and limit what business can be conducted on them.

Amendment History

Added Stats 1985 ch 1450 § 2, operative January 1, 1989.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 28, 2026. · Official source
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