The rule of the common law, that statutes in derogation thereof are to be strictly construed, has no application to this Code. The Code establishes the law of this State respecting the subjects to which it relates, and its provisions are to be liberally construed with a view to effect its objects and to promote justice.
Cal. Civ. Code § 4
EFFECT OF THE 1872 CODES
Known as the The Civil Code
The act spans §§ 1–23 (29 sections).
Applied in 37 court decisions — leading case 19 Cal. 4th 66 - Green v. Ralee Engineering Co. (1998)
Most recently applied in 111 Cal. App. 4th 1294 - Upland Police Officers Ass'n v. City of Upland (September 2003)
Enacted 1872.
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: California Legislative Information. Reproduced from public-domain California statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.