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| Trial Court overview | |
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| Jurisdiction | California Alameda County, California |
| Trial Court executive |
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| Website | alameda |
The Alameda County Superior Court, officially the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Alameda County as established by Article VI of the Constitution of California. [2] It functions as the trial court for both criminal and civil cases filed in Alameda County.
The original courthouse was established on June 6, 1853, in Alvarado, California (a part of present-day Union City). [3] After the county seat moved to Oakland (from San Leandro), a new courthouse was built in 1875, locating near Oakland's Washington Square. However, the building quickly fell into disrepair by the mid-1920s to a point where bailiffs had to hold umbrellas for judges due to leaks. [4] On April 3, 1934, county residents voted overwhelming in support for a bond initiative to build a new county courthouse. The new building was built on the edge of Lake Merritt, where it still stands today, as the René C. Davidson Courthouse. [5] The old courthouse was demolished in 1949. [4] The court currently occupies a number of courthouses throughout the county.
In 1925, future Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Earl Warren was appointed (and later elected) District Attorney of Alameda County.
As a California trial court, the Alameda County Superior Court follows the same steps of criminal procedure as do all courts statewide.
Pursuant to California Government Code § 68070 and the Judicial Council California Rules of Court § 10.613, the Alameda County Superior Court has adopted Local Rules for its government and the government of its officers.
Pursuant to California Rule of Court 2.506 and Government Code Section 68150(h), courts may impose fees for the costs of providing access to its electronic records. Several superior courts do so, including Alameda, Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, and San Diego, and the fees have been criticized as exorbitant and extraordinarily high, with the Alameda County Superior Court fees being the subject of a MoveOn.org petition. [9] [10]
There are several officers of the court, including judges, jurors, commissioners, prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, bailiffs, and court reporters.
A commissioner is a subordinate judicial officer elected by the judges of the Court and given the power to hear and make decisions in certain kinds of legal matters, similar to the United States magistrate judge. Their jurisdiction includes, but is not limited to, traffic matters, family law and juvenile cases, criminal misdemeanors, and criminal felony cases through the preliminary hearing stage.
The Alameda County District Attorney, currently Nancy O'Malley, prosecutes crimes before the court on behalf of Superior Court of California, Alameda County, and all cities and special districts within Alameda County.
The Alameda County Public Defender was the third public defender's office created in the nation, chartered in 1927 by Earl Warren, who would later go on to become Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During its first year, the office employed two lawyers.
Today, there are over a hundred lawyers, twenty investigators and a support staff of forty, who together handle approximately 50,000 cases a year. In 2012, the office was named the "Best Law Firm" in the East Bay by the Alameda County Bar Association. The current head of the Public Defender's Office is Brendon Woods.
The court clerks are responsible for clerical courtroom activities, interacting with the attorneys and the public, administering oaths, assisting with the impaneling juries, and are responsible for the inventory and safe-keeping of the exhibits.
The functions of the bailiff are carried out by Alameda County Sheriff, currently Yesenia Sanchez, under contract.
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the high sheriff of each county.
The Alaska Court System is the unified, centrally administered, and totally state-funded judicial system for the state of Alaska. The Alaska District Courts are the primary misdemeanor trial courts, the Alaska Superior Courts are the primary felony trial courts, and the Alaska Supreme Court and the Alaska Court of Appeals are the primary appellate courts. The chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court is the administrative head of the Alaska Court System.
The structure of the judiciary of Texas is laid out in Article 5 of the Constitution of Texas and is further defined by statute, in particular the Texas Government Code and Texas Probate Code. The structure is complex, featuring many layers of courts, numerous instances of overlapping jurisdiction, several differences between counties, as well as an unusual bifurcated appellate system at the top level found in only one other state: Oklahoma. Municipal Courts are the most active courts, with County Courts and District Courts handling most other cases and often sharing the same courthouse.
The Criminal Court of the City of New York is a court of the State Unified Court System in New York City that handles misdemeanors and lesser offenses, and also conducts arraignments and preliminary hearings in felony cases.
The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along county lines into six appellate districts. The Courts of Appeal form the largest state-level intermediate appellate court system in the United States, with 106 justices.
Wiley William Manuel was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California from 1977 to 1981 and the first African American to serve on the high court.
Superior courts in California are the state trial courts with general jurisdiction to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard in some other court or before a governmental agency. As mandated by the California Constitution, there is a superior court in each of the 58 counties in California. The superior courts also have appellate divisions which hear appeals from decisions in cases previously heard by inferior courts.
The Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, alternatively called the Sacramento County Superior Court, is the California Superior Court located in Sacramento with jurisdiction over Sacramento County.
Delbert Gee was an Alameda County Superior Court Judge from 2002 until his retirement in 2022, presiding over both civil and criminal cases.
In Washington, there are several state courts. Judges are elected and serve four-year or six-year terms. Most judges first come to office when the governor of Washington appoints them after a vacancy is created – either by the death, resignation, retirement, or removal of a sitting judge, or when a new seat on the bench is created by the Washington State Legislature.
The Connecticut Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction. It hears all matters other than those of original jurisdiction of the Probate Court, and hears appeals from the Probate Court. The Superior Court has 13 judicial districts which have at least one courthouse and one geographical area court. Civil cases, administrative appeals, family matters, and serious criminal offenses are generally heard in a judicial district courthouse. All criminal arraignments, misdemeanors, felonies, and motor vehicle violations that require a court appearance are heard in one of the 20 geographical area courts.
The Judiciary of New York is the judicial branch of the Government of New York, comprising all the courts of the State of New York.
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the California Superior Court located in Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.
The Hayward Hall of Justice is an Alameda County Superior Court building, located in Hayward, California. It is located in a complex of buildings which includes the Hayward Police Department, Hayward Unified School District offices, and the Hayward jail. Across Amador Street is a building which houses various social service offices, including the General Assistance office for Hayward. The courthouse is one of a number of locations for the Alameda County Superior Court system.
The René C. Davidson Courthouse is the main courthouse, part of the Alameda County Superior Court system. The art deco style courthouse was completed in 1934 and is located in the county seat of Oakland, California, USA. It is adjacent to Lake Merritt.
The San Diego County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for San Diego County, California. This office is responsible for the prosecution of both felony and misdemeanor violations of California state law that occur within the jurisdiction of San Diego County, California. Courts within their jurisdiction includes the San Diego Superior Court, the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District, and the California Supreme Court. Federal law violations are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. The current District Attorney is Summer Stephan, who replaced Bonnie Dumanis on an interim basis after the latter resigned in July 2017.
The government of Alameda County, California, is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law, and the Charter of the County of Alameda. Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the Government of Alameda County. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas. County services are provided to residents by more than 9,000 employees working in 21 different agencies and departments with an annual budget expenditure of $2.4 billion.
The Judiciary of California or the Judicial Branch of California is defined under the California Constitution as holding the judicial power of the state of California which is vested in the Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal and the Superior Courts. The judiciary has a hierarchical structure with the California Supreme Court at the top, California Courts of Appeal as the primary appellate courts, and the California Superior Courts as the primary trial courts.
As one of the fifty states of the United States, California follows common law criminal procedure. The principal source of law for California criminal procedure is the California Penal Code, Part 2, "Of Criminal Procedure."
Brendon DeWayne Woods is an American criminal defense attorney and an advocate for criminal justice reform. Woods currently works as the public defender for Alameda County and has served as the president of the California Public Defenders Association.
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