44. Appeals in probate proceedings, in contested election cases, and in actions for libel or slander by a person who holds any elective public office or a candidate for any such office alleged to have occurred during the course of an election campaign shall be given preference in hearing in the courts of appeal, and in the Supreme Court when transferred thereto. All these cases shall be placed on the calendar in the order of their date of issue, next after cases in which the people of the state are parties.
45. An appeal from a judgment freeing a minor who is a dependent child of the juvenile court from parental custody and control, or denying a recommendation to free a minor from parental custody or control, shall have precedence over all cases in the court to which an appeal in the matter is taken. In order to enable the child to be available for adoption as soon as possible and to minimize the anxiety to all parties, the appellate court shall grant an extension of time to a court reporter or to counsel only upon an exceptional showing of good cause.
CHAPTER 4
SUPERIOR COURTS
71. The process of superior courts shall extend throughout the state.
73c. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law of this state, the judges of the superior court of the county in which is located the principal office in this state of any savings and loan association of whose business, property and assets possession shall have been taken by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, may, in their discretion, whenever those judges deem it necessary or advisable, hold hearings relating to the sale, exchange or other disposition of any parcel of real property or any item of personal property of the association, regardless of the location of the property, at the county seat of any county in this state or at the places in the county in which the principal office in this state of the association is located at which sessions of the superior court are held.
73d. Whenever, under Section 73c, it becomes necessary for a judge, clerk, deputy clerk, court reporter or bailiff of or sitting in the superior court of the county in this state in which is located the principal office of any savings and loan association whose business, property and assets are in the possession of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, to travel to another county, there temporarily to attend hearings relating to the sale, exchange or other disposition of real or personal property of the association, each judge, clerk, deputy clerk, court reporter or bailiff shall be allowed the necessary expenses in going to, returning from and attending upon the business of the court. The expenses shall, upon order of the court, be a charge against the funds of the association and paid out of those funds by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions.
73e. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, in each county wherein the juvenile hall is not located at the county seat of the county, a majority of the judges of the superior court in and for such county may by an order filed with the clerk of the court direct that a session or sessions of the superior court, while sitting for the purpose of hearing and determining cases and proceedings arising under Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 or Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 6 or Chapter 4 of Part 4 of Division 6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, may be held or continued in any place in the county in which the juvenile hall is located and thereafter such session or sessions of the court may be held or continued in the location designated in such order. In a county having two superior
court judges the presiding judge may make the order.
74. Adjournments from day to day, or from time to time, are to be construed as recesses in the sessions, and shall not prevent the Court from sitting at any time.
75. The superior court in any county may by rule provide that, whenever all judges are absent from the county, any noncontested matter in which no evidence is required, or which may be submitted upon affidavits, shall be deemed submitted upon the filing with the clerk of a statement of submission by the party or the party's attorney or upon the date set for the hearing.
77. (a) In every county and city and county, there is an appellate division of the superior court consisting of three judges or, when the Chief Justice finds it necessary, four judges.
The Chief Justice shall assign judges to the appellate division for specified terms pursuant to rules, not inconsistent with statute, adopted by the Judicial Council to promote the independence and quality of each appellate division. Each judge assigned to the appellate division of a superior court shall be a judge of that court, a judge of the superior court of another county, or a judge retired from the superior court or a court of higher jurisdiction in this state.
The Chief Justice shall designate one of the judges of each appellate division as the presiding judge of the division.
(b) In each appellate division, no more than three judges shall participate in a hearing or decision. The presiding judge of the division shall designate the three judges who shall participate.
(c) In addition to their other duties, the judges designated as members of the appellate division of the superior court shall serve for the period specified in the order of designation. Whenever a judge is designated to serve in the appellate division of the superior court of a county other than the county in which that judge was elected or appointed as a superior court judge, or if the judge is retired, in a county other than the county in which the judge resides, the judge shall receive expenses for travel, board, and lodging. If the judge is out of the judge's county overnight or longer, by reason of the designation, that judge shall be paid a per diem allowance in lieu of expenses for board and lodging in the same amounts as are payable for those purposes to justices of the Supreme Court under the rules of the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board. In addition, a retired judge shall receive for the time so served, amounts equal to that which the judge would have received if the judge had been assigned to the superior court of the county.
(d) The concurrence of two judges of the appellate division of the superior court shall be necessary to render the decision in every case in, and to transact any other business except business that may be done at chambers by the presiding judge of, the division. The presiding judge shall convene the appellate division when necessary. The presiding judge shall also supervise its business and transact any business that may be done at chambers.
(e) The appellate division of the superior court has jurisdiction on appeal in all cases in which an appeal may be taken to the superior court or the appellate division of the superior court as provided by law, except where the appeal is a retrial in the superior court.
(f) The powers of each appellate division shall be the same as are now or may hereafter be provided by law or rule of the Judicial Council relating to appeals to the appellate division of the superior courts.
(g) The Judicial Council shall promulgate rules, not inconsistent with law, to promote the independence of, and govern the practice and procedure and the disposition of the business of, the appellate division.
(h) Notwithstanding subdivisions (b) and (d), appeals from convictions of traffic infractions may be heard and decided by one judge of the appellate division of the superior court.
CHAPTER 5.1. LIMITED CIVIL CASES
Article 1. Jurisdiction in Limited Civil Cases
85. An action or special proceeding shall be treated as a limited civil case if all of the following conditions are satisfied, and, notwithstanding any statute that classifies an action or special proceeding as a limited civil case, an action or special proceeding shall not be treated as a limited civil case unless all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The amount in controversy does not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). As used in this section, "amount in controversy" means the amount of the demand, or the recovery sought, or the value of the property,