Rule 8.603. In general
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.603
Current text effective April 25, 2019.
#(a) Automatic appeal to Supreme Court
If a judgment imposes a sentence of death, an appeal by the defendant is automatically taken to the Supreme Court.
#(b) Copies of judgment
When a judgment of death is rendered, the superior court clerk must immediately send certified copies of the commitment to the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Governor, the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, and the California Appellate Project in -San Francisco.
#History
Rule 8.603 renumbered and amended effective April 25, 2019; repealed and adopted as rule 34 effective January 1, 2004; previously amended and renumbered as rule 8.600 effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2018.
What this rule requires
Service and Proof of Service Rules
When a judgment of death is rendered, the superior court clerk must immediately send certified copies of the commitment to the listed recipients.
The rule's wording
When a judgment of death is rendered, the superior court clerk must immediately send certified copies of the commitment to the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Governor, the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, and the California Appellate Project in -San Francisco.
Official text: courts.ca.gov , checked October 19, 2026.