Every full day designated as a holiday by Section 6700 of the Government Code, including that Thursday of November declared by the President to be Thanksgiving Day, is a judicial holiday, except the date corresponding with the second new moon following the winter solstice, or the third new moon following the winter solstice should an intercalary month intervene, known as “Lunar New Year,” the 15th day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar of each year, known as “Diwali,” April 24, known as “Genocide Remembrance Day,” September 9, known as “Admission Day,” the second Monday in October, known as “Columbus Day,” and any other day appointed by the President, but not by the Governor, for a public fast, thanksgiving, or holiday. If a judicial holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the Judicial Council may designate an alternative day for observance of the holiday. Every Saturday and the day after Thanksgiving Day are judicial holidays. Officers and employees of the courts shall observe only the judicial holidays established pursuant to this section.
§ 135.Designation of judicial holidays
Title 1. Organization and Jurisdiction · Chapter 6. General Provisions Respecting Courts of Justice · Article 3. Judicial Holidays · Last amended 2026 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 135 defines which days count as judicial holidays in California by adopting the state holidays listed in Government Code § 6700 plus Thanksgiving, excluding Lunar New Year, Diwali, Genocide Remembrance Day, Admission Day, and Columbus Day from that list, and adding every Saturday and the day after Thanksgiving as judicial holidays.
Full Text of § 135
Plain-English Summary
Section 135 is the section that tells you which days the courts treat as closed. It starts from the list of state holidays in Government Code § 6700 and adds Thanksgiving Day itself, but then pulls five of those state holidays back out for judicial purposes: Lunar New Year, Diwali, Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24), Admission Day (September 9), and Columbus Day (the second Monday in October). Those days are recognized state holidays for other purposes, but not judicial holidays — courts stay open on them.
The section adds two categories of its own. Every Saturday is a judicial holiday, and so is the day after Thanksgiving. If a judicial holiday happens to fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the Judicial Council can designate a different day for the courts to observe it. And the section closes with a clarifying rule: court officers and employees only observe the holidays this section establishes, not every holiday recognized elsewhere in state government.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Columbus Day a court holiday in California?
No. Section 135 excludes Columbus Day, along with Lunar New Year, Diwali, Genocide Remembrance Day, and Admission Day, from the list of judicial holidays even though they are recognized state holidays under Government Code § 6700.
Are Saturdays judicial holidays in California?
Yes. Section 135 makes every Saturday a judicial holiday in its own right, separate from the state holidays it otherwise adopts.
What happens if a judicial holiday falls on a weekend?
Section 135 gives the Judicial Council authority to designate an alternative day for observing that holiday.
Is the day after Thanksgiving a court holiday?
Yes. Section 135 designates the day after Thanksgiving as a judicial holiday.
Do court employees get every state holiday off?
No. Section 135 states that officers and employees of the courts observe only the judicial holidays established under this section, which is not identical to the full state holiday list in Government Code § 6700.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1985 ch 1450 § 2, operative January 1, 1989. Amended Stats 1986 ch 1398 § 3, operative January 1, 1989; Stats 1992 ch 460 § 3 (SB 1805); Stats 1994 ch 1011 § 3 (SB 1373); Stats 2001 ch 542 § 3 (SB 1112); Stats 2015 ch 26 § 2 (SB 85), effective June 24, 2015; Stats 2021 ch 283 § 1 (AB 855), effective January 1, 2022; Stats 2022 ch 761 § 2 (AB 1801), effective January 1, 2023; Stats 2022 ch 792 § 1.5 (AB 2596), effective January 1, 2023 (ch 792 prevails); Stats 2025 ch 358 § 2 (AB 268), effective January 1, 2026.
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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