California legal term
True threat in California Criminal Law
Current through 2026 California legislative session
In California criminal law, “True threat” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.
What does “True threat” mean in California criminal law?
“True threat” means a statement in which the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular person or group of persons regardless of whether the person actually intends to act on the threat. (Cal. Penal Code § 594.39)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.