California statute
Cal. Penal Code § 988
Current through 2025–2026 Regular Session (leginfo weekly dump, 2026-07-12)
Part of Chapter 1: Of the Arraignment of the Defendant, California Penal Code.
Full text of Cal. Penal Code § 988
Statutory text current through the 2025–2026 Regular Session (leginfo weekly dump, 2026-07-12). This publication reproduces the official statutory text; it is not the official statutes of the State of California.
The arraignment must be made by the court, or by the clerk or prosecuting attorney under its direction, and consists in reading the accusatory pleading to the defendant and delivering to the defendant a true copy thereof, and of the endorsements thereon, if any, including the list of witnesses, and asking the defendant whether the defendant pleads guilty or not guilty to the accusatory pleading; provided, that where the accusatory pleading is a complaint charging a misdemeanor, a copy of the same need not be delivered to any defendant unless requested by the defendant.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.