Judicial Council approves roughly $3.08 billion in trial court allocations for 2025‑26

The Judicial Council on July 18 approved preliminary allocations for the trial courts totaling $3,076,000,000, which presenters rounded to $3.1 billion for the purpose of discussion. "The total preliminary allocations from the Trial Court Trust Fund and the general fund are 3,076,000,000 rounded up to 3,100,000,000 for the purpose of this discussion based upon previously approved methodologies," Judge Conklin told the council.

The allocation package includes $3.0 billion from the Trial Court Trust Fund and $117.8 million from the General Fund, presenters said, and would be distributed monthly. Judge Conklin highlighted a partial restoration that restored $42 million of an earlier $97 million reduction and noted additional ongoing general‑fund increases: $40 million for trial court operations and $19.7 million for employee health benefits. The presenters also described a $3.3 million equity‑based reallocation intended to move funds toward courts below the statewide funding average. Using the current workload formula the council reported an overall funding level of about 85.9 percent of calculated need.

Council members moved and approved the recommendations on a voice vote. The presenters said the allocations and supporting methodology follow previously approved approaches and that administrative staff will implement technical adjustments as needed.