SUPERIOR COURT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY UNVEILS RESULTS FROM FIRST-EVER POLL GAUGING LOS ANGELES COUNTY RESIDENTS’ TRUST, CONFIDENCE AND SATISFACTION IN THEIR LOCAL COURT

Survey Results Reveal Higher Trust in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County Relative to Other Government Institutions; Court Must Improve on Innovative Ways to Deliver Access to Justice and Instill Trust and Confidence with Specific Constituencies 

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County (Court) has released findings from its first-ever county-wide poll measuring public perception of the Court, Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II announced today.

Conducted in February 2025 among a representative sample of Los Angeles County residents, the poll reveals strong public trust in the Court, surpassing that of other government institutions. Respondents also expressed positive views on access to justice and fairness within the Court system. Notably, there was broad support for the Court’s recent initiatives, including reforms to the cash bail system through the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocols (PARPs) and the formation of an eviction diversion roundtable to address the County’s housing crisis. These results will guide the Court’s ongoing efforts to enhance public trust and confidence, offering critical insights into how the public perceives the Court’s performance in areas such as innovation, customer service, fairness, and case resolution.

“As the third co-equal branch of government, the Court plays a vital role in ensuring a fair and neutral forum for resolving disputes and upholding the essential checks and balances essential to our democracy,” Presiding Judge Tapia said. “This groundbreaking poll offers valuable insight into how our community views the Court, highlighting our progress and the work ahead to ensure equitable access to justice for all.”

Key Findings

• Among government institutions noted in the poll, the Court garnered the highest confidence among respondents, with 64% expressing some or a great deal of confidence in the Court.
• In similar fashion, 60% of respondents agreed that the Court is committed to protecting individual and civil rights.
• Nearly half of respondents – 49% – noted that court services (both online and in-person) were easy to access.
• The majority of respondents who have had some first-hand experience with the Court were satisfied with the fairness of the Court’s process.
• 82% of respondents reported having some form of experience with the Court, with the most common experience – 63% – involving being summoned for jury duty.
• Of those who had some form of experience with the Court, 69% reported that they were satisfied with the fairness of the Court’s process in their experience, regardless of the outcome.
• A majority of respondents – 57% – support the Court’s 2023 program to eliminate cash bail for non-violent offenses, while 33% of respondents opposed it.
• 71% of respondents noted that an eviction diversion program the Court is exploring would have a meaningful impact on reducing the homeless crisis.

Areas of Action

• 54% of respondents expressed a desire to see the Court invest in innovation to improve access and efficiency for court users.
• A broad majority of those surveyed – 61% – support initiatives to reduce costs and provide better services to court users by more closely meeting people where they live.
• Though a majority of respondents – 53% versus 40% – agreed that the Court treats court users with dignity and respect, those surveyed – 47% versus 43% – also expressed a need for the Court to enhance its customer service.
•  While 40% of respondents noted that the Court is transparent and accountable to the public, 52% of respondents disagreed.
• 53% of respondents did not agree that the Court provides equal justice to all, while 40% of respondents noted that the Court meets the mission of providing equal justice to all.
• Fewer Latino and Black residents were satisfied with the fairness of the Court’s process in their own experiences, regardless of the outcome, compared to other groups. 58% of Latino respondents and 68% of Black respondents reported being satisfied, compared with 80% of Asian American and Pacific Islander respondents and 79% of white respondents.
• 75% of respondents who are at least the age of 50 said they were satisfied with the fairness of their own experience with the Court, regardless of the outcome, compared to 62% of those between the ages of 18 and 49 years old who agreed.
• Only 57% of younger respondents – those 40 years old or younger – expressed confidence in the Court compared to 68% of older court users.

To strengthen trust, engagement and confidence with the diverse communities it serves, including younger residents and Latino and Black residents of all ages, the Court is preparing to launch a new user-friendly website. This new platform will make it easier for court users to navigate online services and access information about court programs and resources. Alongside a recent expansion of its social media presence, the Court will roll out a series of explainer videos across social media platforms. These videos aim to demystify court processes and help the public understand what to expect, whether responding to a jury summons or paying a traffic ticket. Later this year, the Court will also introduce a new mobile unit dedicated to community engagement. This initiative will bring the Court directly into neighborhoods across Los Angeles County, fostering awareness of the Court’s role in upholding the foundations of democracy and ensuring more accessible outreach.

The insights gained from the Court’s recent public perception survey will inform on-going efforts to enhance service delivery through innovation and data-informed decision making. As part of this commitment, the Court has elevated the use of data to guide its strategic planning, including through a partnership with Stanford Law School. This collaboration supports the design and implementation of evidence-based approaches to improving access to justice. Earlier this month, the partnership produced a report outlining a clear and actionable roadmap for creating a more modern, innovative, and accessible court system.

Demonstrating a commitment to transparency, the Court also launched the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol (PARP) Dashboard last year, providing real-time data on bookings, risk profiles, and outcomes under the PARPs. This tool helps the public better understand how pre-arraignment decisions are made. Earlier this month, the Court released its PARP One-Year Report, offering deeper insights into the program’s impact and continued progress.

“We recognize that data is a powerful tool in evaluating how well we serve the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County,” Executive Officer/Clerk of Court David W. Slayton said. “Court leadership believes strongly that it must collect and use accurate and reliable data to ensure that decisions are based on evidence and facts, including accurately surveyed perceptions about the Court from the public. The Court also believes that it must be transparent in its use of data, sharing its methods and findings openly. The release of this poll’s findings reaffirms the Court’s commitment to actively earn the respect, trust and confidence of the constituents we serve.”

The polling results, available here, encompass the feedback of 1,000 Los Angeles County residents taken from Feb. 13 to Feb. 24, 2025, via landline telephone, cell phone and text-to-web with a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

For more information on the Court’s current programs and services, follow the Court on X (@LASuperiorCourt), Instagram (@LASuperiorCourt), Threads (@LASuperiorCourt), or visit the Court’s website, www.LACourt.org.