San Diego County Superior Court | |
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Established | 1850 |
Jurisdiction | San Diego County, California |
Location |
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Appeals to | California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District, Division One |
Website | sdcourt |
Presiding Judge | |
Currently | Hon. Lorna A. Alksne [1] |
Assistant Presiding Judge | |
Currently | Hon. Michael T. Smyth [1] |
Court Executive Officer | |
Currently | Michael Roddy [1] |
The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over San Diego County.
San Diego County was one of the original counties formed when California gained statehood in 1850. The first elected officers of the San Diego Court of Sessions met in October 1850, including presiding judge Hon. John Hayes and associate judges Charles Haraszthy and William H. Moon; the First Court House, approximately at the intersection of San Diego and Mason Streets, was part of what is now Old Town San Diego. County offices were moved to the Whaley House in 1869, and the original Court House was destroyed in the fire of 1872. [2] The 1872 fire originated in the old Court House. [3]
The second county courthouse was completed in 1872 on land donated by Alonzo Horton in "New Town" San Diego. [4] It was replaced by a third county courthouse which was completed in 1892. The 42 clerestory stained glass windows featured the Great Seals of each state in the union at the time of its completion, and were saved after the courthouse was demolished in 1961. [5] The 1892 structure was built at the corner of Front and D (now Broadway) in downtown San Diego after the architects hired to expand the 1872 courthouse (Nelson Comstock and Carl Trotsche) determined the structure could not support the new proposed wings. [4]
The fourth county courthouse was completed in 1961 across the street from where the Hall of Justice now stands. [4] The stained glass windows were saved from the 1892 building, but were not installed into the 1961 Courthouse; instead, the windows were placed in the Hall of Justice, completed in 1996. The 1961 courthouse sat on the active Rose Canyon Fault and required asbestos abatement, prompting its replacement. [6]
The fifth county courthouse was completed in June 2017 at a cost of US$555,500,000(equivalent to $586,000,000 in 2020). The 2017 building, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, was the largest and most expensive courthouse in the state when it was finished. [6] The courts moved to the new building in 2018. [7] It was one of three examples cited for excessive costs and ornamentation by critics of the Judicial Council of California's construction program, along with the new Family Justice Center (completed in 2016 for Santa Clara County) and a new courthouse for Long Beach. [8]
The main courthouse complex consists of two buildings in downtown San Diego: the Central Courthouse and the adjoining Hall of Justice. The Central Courthouse was completed in 2017 and consolidates criminal, probate, family court, and small claims services. [9] The Hall of Justice was completed in 1996, which handles civil cases. [10]
Small claims were moved from Kearny Mesa to the Central Courthouse; Kearny Mesa continues to handle minor traffic offenses, including juvenile traffic infractions. [11] A separate Juvenile Court in Linda Vista handles cases for minors. [12]
Three satellite courts are used to support communities in East County (El Cajon), [13] North County (Vista), [14] and South County (Chula Vista). [15]
South Bay, also known as South County, is a region in southwestern San Diego County, California consisting of the cities and unincorporated communities of Bonita, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Lincoln Acres, National City, and South San Diego.
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is the public transit service provider for Central, South, Northeast and Southeast San Diego County. The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes the MTS Bus, San Diego Trolley light rail, and Rapid bus rapid transit services. The MTS also controls the San Diego and Arizona Eastern (SD&AE) freight railway and regulates taxicabs, jitneys, and other private for-hire passenger transportation services.
Serra Mesa is a community in San Diego, California, roughly between Interstate 805 and Interstate 15, north of Friars Road and south of Aero Drive. It is named for Junípero Serra, a Majorcan (Spain) Franciscan friar who founded the Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Adjacent communities include Kearny Mesa, Tierrasanta, Mission Valley, and Linda Vista.
Kearny High School is a public high school in San Diego, California. Kearny High School serves students in grades 9-12 from the Linda Vista, Serra Mesa and Kearny Mesa communities. The school is part of the San Diego Unified School District. Kearny's mascot is the Komet.
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.
Kearny Mesa is a community in the central part of San Diego, California. It is bounded by State Route 52 to the north, Interstate 805 to the west, Aero Drive to the south, and Interstate 15 to the east. Adjacent communities include Serra Mesa, Clairemont and Tierrasanta.
The Superior Court of California for and in the County of Santa Clara is the state trial court in and for Santa Clara County, California.
The San Diego County Probation Department is the body in San Diego County, California, responsible for supervising convicted offenders in the community, either who are on probation, such as at the conclusion of their sentences, or while on community supervision orders.
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.
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. It functions as the trial court for both criminal and civil cases filed in Alameda County.
The Superior Court of California, County of Ventura County, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Ventura County.
The San Diego County Public Defender's office is an agency of the government of San Diego County, California. It provides legal assistance to individuals charged with a crime in state court who are financially unable to retain private counsel. The office consists of the Primary Public Defender, the Alternate Public Defender, the Office of Assigned Counsel & the Multiple Conflicts Office. Mental health and juvenile court matters are handled by special units within the divisions.
The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo is the California superior court with jurisdiction over San Mateo County.
The Superior Court of California, County of Marin, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Marin County. It is housed in the landmark Marin County Civic Center, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1962.
The Superior Court of California, County of Fresno, also known as the Fresno County Superior Court, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Fresno County.
The Purple Line is a future San Diego Trolley line proposed by SANDAG, that would run from San Ysidro Transit Center at the United States–Mexico border to Kearny Mesa with a possible extension to Carmel Valley. It would run along or in the median of I-805 and I-15. Most of the proposed station locations are currently served by Rapid routes 225 and 235. The Purple Line could include up to 14 new Trolley stations, a new support facility and yard, and require the purchase of 60 additional Trolley cars to provide the needed level of service on the line. Projected ridership on the Purple Line is expected to be over 40,000 daily trips with a peak hour frequency of 7-10 minutes.
The San Francisco Hall of Justice, is the third building to serve as the headquarters of the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco County Superior Court. It was constructed between 1958 and 1960, in the block bounded by Sixth, Seventh, and Bryant.
The Superior Court of California, County of Tuolumne, also known as the Tuolumne County Superior Court, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Tuolumne County.
The Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, also known as the Sonoma County Superior Court or Sonoma Superior Court, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Sonoma County.