Legal Definitions - long cause

Definition: Long Cause is a term used in California state courts to describe a trial or hearing that is expected to take a long time. The length of a long cause trial or hearing varies depending on the jurisdiction.

For example, in the Santa Clara County Superior Court, a long cause hearing is defined as "any hearing other than a trial that will take longer than 30 minutes." In family law, a long-cause hearing is defined as a hearing on a request for order that extends more than a single court day.

The length of the trial or hearing may affect when the trial or hearing is scheduled on the calendar or which calendar the case is placed on. For instance, in the San Mateo County Superior Court, all matters estimated by counsel to require a hearing of longer than fifteen (15) minutes shall be set on the long cause calendar.

Overall, long cause refers to a trial or hearing that is expected to take a long time, and it is important to know the length of the trial or hearing to determine when it will be scheduled on the calendar.