Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Encyclopedia
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the Superior Court
located in Los Angeles County
. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.
The Superior Court operates 50 courthouses throughout the county. Currently, the Presiding Judge is Lee Smalley Edmon and John A. Clarke is the Executive Officer/Clerk. They, together with 5,400 employees, operate the nearly 600 courtrooms throughout the county, with an annual budget of $850 million.
of the County Court and Judge Jonathan R. Scott of the Justice of the Peace Court were the first judges of these lower courts. Almost immediately the District Court system was burdened by the vast expanse of the district. District Judges was required to hold court proceedings where the cases were filed. Because of the distance District Court Judges had to travel to conduct trials and the sudden growth in population due to California Gold Rush, the District Court system became ineffective and non-responsive to the needs of its constituency.
In 1879 California adopted a new constitution
and with it a revised court system. The District Courts became appeals courts below the State Supreme Court
. To take over the District Courts original function the county Superior Courts were created. The new Superior Court of Los Angeles County began with two judges: Ygnacio Sepulveda and Volney E. Howard. In 1905, juvenile delinquency and dependency hearings were put under the Superior Court's jurisdiction, as were mental health hearing in 1914. Eventually the Superior Court’s jurisdiction came to include all civil, felony criminal, family law, Juvenile Delinquency and Dependency, and probate cases in the county.
Throughout its history the Superior Court had had a close relation with the county’s many Municipal Courts. By 1971 the Superior Court assumed responsibility for coordinating, providing and scheduling court interpreters for all courts in the County and by 1973 the Court had implemented a county wide system to process the payment of court appointed attorneys. The following year, 1974, all jury services in the county had been consolidated. In 1986 county-wide uniform criminal Local Court rules and uniform exhibit processing procedures were adopted to ensure consistency in how criminal cases were handled through the court system. By 1988 the Municipal and Superior Courts began to cross-assign cases to ease the county’s judicial back log. In 1993 the Superior Court adopted the Municipal Courts’ automated criminal case processing system; known as the Municipal Court Information it was rebranded the Trial Court Information System. Also in 1993 the Superior Court was administratively unified with several of the Municipal Courts. And by 1999 17 more Municipal Courts had joined. Finally on January 22nd, 2000, in accordance with Proposition 220 passed in 1998, the Judges of the Municipal and Superior Courts voted to merge into the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
Superior Courts of California
The Superior Courts of California are the superior courts in the U.S. state of California 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 government agency...
located in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.
The Superior Court operates 50 courthouses throughout the county. Currently, the Presiding Judge is Lee Smalley Edmon and John A. Clarke is the Executive Officer/Clerk. They, together with 5,400 employees, operate the nearly 600 courtrooms throughout the county, with an annual budget of $850 million.
History
When California declared its statehood in 1849 and became a part of the United States, the first California Constitution authorized the legislature to establish municipal and such other courts as it deemed necessary. The 1851 California Judiciary Act divided the state into districts, placing Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties into one district. Each district had its own court, below which were County and then Justice of the Peace Courts. Judge Agustin OlveraAgustin Olvera
Agustin Olvera was a pioneer of Los Angeles, California and was active in the turbulent political affairs of the time.-Biography:...
of the County Court and Judge Jonathan R. Scott of the Justice of the Peace Court were the first judges of these lower courts. Almost immediately the District Court system was burdened by the vast expanse of the district. District Judges was required to hold court proceedings where the cases were filed. Because of the distance District Court Judges had to travel to conduct trials and the sudden growth in population due to California Gold Rush, the District Court system became ineffective and non-responsive to the needs of its constituency.
In 1879 California adopted a new constitution
California Constitution
The document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. The original constitution, adopted in November 1849 in advance of California attaining U.S. statehood in 1850, was superseded by the current constitution, which...
and with it a revised court system. The District Courts became appeals courts below the State Supreme Court
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
. To take over the District Courts original function the county Superior Courts were created. The new Superior Court of Los Angeles County began with two judges: Ygnacio Sepulveda and Volney E. Howard. In 1905, juvenile delinquency and dependency hearings were put under the Superior Court's jurisdiction, as were mental health hearing in 1914. Eventually the Superior Court’s jurisdiction came to include all civil, felony criminal, family law, Juvenile Delinquency and Dependency, and probate cases in the county.
Throughout its history the Superior Court had had a close relation with the county’s many Municipal Courts. By 1971 the Superior Court assumed responsibility for coordinating, providing and scheduling court interpreters for all courts in the County and by 1973 the Court had implemented a county wide system to process the payment of court appointed attorneys. The following year, 1974, all jury services in the county had been consolidated. In 1986 county-wide uniform criminal Local Court rules and uniform exhibit processing procedures were adopted to ensure consistency in how criminal cases were handled through the court system. By 1988 the Municipal and Superior Courts began to cross-assign cases to ease the county’s judicial back log. In 1993 the Superior Court adopted the Municipal Courts’ automated criminal case processing system; known as the Municipal Court Information it was rebranded the Trial Court Information System. Also in 1993 the Superior Court was administratively unified with several of the Municipal Courts. And by 1999 17 more Municipal Courts had joined. Finally on January 22nd, 2000, in accordance with Proposition 220 passed in 1998, the Judges of the Municipal and Superior Courts voted to merge into the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
General
- Alhambra Courthouse, First Street and Commonwealth Avenue
- Airport Courthouse, 105 and 405 freeway intersection
- Catalina Courthouse, Catalina IslandSanta Catalina Island, CaliforniaSanta Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
, smallest, one part-time courtroom - Bellflower Courthouse
- Beverly Hills Courthouse
- Burbank Courthouse
- Chatsworth Courthouse
- Compton Courthouse
- Downey Courthouse
- East Los Angeles Courthouse
- El Monte Courthouse
- Glendale Courthouse
- Hollywood Courthouse
- Huntington Park Courthouse
- Inglewood Courthouse
- Long Beach Courthouse
- Malibu Courthouse
- Metropolitan Courthouse
- Michael D. AntonovichMichael D. AntonovichMichael Dennis Antonovich is a politician and the most senior-serving member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors...
Antelope Valley Courthouse - Norwalk Courthouse
- Pasadena Courthouse
- Pomona Courthouse North
- Pomona Courthouse South
- Redondo Beach Courthouse
- San Fernando Courthouse
- San Pedro Courthouse
- San Pedro Courthouse Annex
- Santa Clarita Courthouse
- Santa Monica Courthouse
- Stanley MoskStanley MoskStanley Mosk was an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court for 37 years , and holds the record for the longest-serving justice on that court. Before sitting on the Supreme Court, he served as Attorney General of California and as a trial court judge, among other governmental positions...
Courthouse, Downtown Los Angeles, 100 courtrooms, largest courthouse in the United States - Torrance Courthouse
- Van Nuys Courthouse East
- Van Nuys Courthouse West
- West Covina Courthouse
- West Los Angeles Courthouse
- Whittier Courthouse
Specialty
- Alfred J. McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center
- Central Arraignment Court
- Central Civil West Courthouse
- Clara Shortridge FoltzClara S. FoltzClara Shortridge Foltz was the first female lawyer on the West Coast. She was the sister of U.S. Senator Samuel M. Shortridge...
Criminal Justice Center - David V. KenyonDavid Vreeland KenyonDavid Vreeland Kenyon is a former United States federal judge.Born in San Marino, California, Kenyon received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1952 and a J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 1957. He was a U.S. Marine Corps Infantry Officer from 1953...
Juvenile Justice Center - Eastlake Juvenile Court
- Edmund D. EdelmanEdmund D. EdelmanEdmund D. Edelman was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1965 to 1974 and of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1975 to 1994...
Children's Court - Inglewood Juvenile Courthouse
- Los Padrinos Juvenile Courthouse
- Mental Health Courthouse
- Sylmar Juvenile Courthouse
Caseload
2.7 million new cases each year:- 1.7 million traffic tickets
- About 500,000 criminal cases
- Nearly 120,000 family law cases
- Over 150,000 civil lawsuits
Judges
The state Administrative Office of the Courts maintains an official roster of all superior court judges, including the 431 judges of the L.A. Superior Court. Additionally, there are 140 commissioners, subordinate judicial officers who are elected by the judges of the Court. Notable judges:- Lee Smalley Edmon, Presiding Judge
- Charles "Tim" McCoy
- David S. Cunningham, IIIDavid S. Cunningham, IIIDavid S. Cunningham, III is a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a former president of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. Cunningham was appointed to the board in 2001 by L.A. Mayor James Hahn, and became its President in 2003. He is the...
- James HahnJames HahnJames Kenneth "Jim" Hahn is an American politician. Hahn was elected the 40th Mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election...
- Shirley HufstedlerShirley HufstedlerShirley Ann Mount Hufstedler is an American lawyer who served as the first United States Secretary of Education, under President Jimmy Carter.-Biography:...
- Lance ItoLance ItoLance Allan Ito is an American Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, best known for his presiding decision during the O. J. Simpson murder trial. He currently hears felony criminal cases at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.-Early life and career:Ito was born to Jim and Toshi Ito...
- Joyce KarlinJoyce KarlinJoyce A. Karlin, now Joyce Karlin Fahey, was a federal prosecutor, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, and then a two-term mayor of Manhattan Beach, California. She now works as a private arbitrator and mediator....
- Loren Miller Jr.
- Loren MillerLoren Miller (judge)Loren Miller , was an American, California Superior Court Justice, County of Los Angeles, appointed by former governor Edmund G. Brown in 1964, serving until 1967...
(1903-1967) - Billy G. MillsBilly G. MillsBilly G. Mills is a retired Los Angeles Superior Court judge and a former Los Angeles City Council member, serving from 1963 to 1974. He was one of the first three African-Americans elected to the council.-Biography:...
- Lawrence MiraLawrence MiraLawrence Joseph Mira is a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge whose courtroom is in Malibu, California. Known by some as "Judge to the Stars", Mira's name has been mentioned in numerous high-profile and celebrity arrests due to the region his courtroom serves...
- Michael T. SauerMichael T. SauerMichael Thomas Sauer is a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. He is best known for sentencing socialite Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail for violating terms of her probation. He was previously a Deputy City Attorney for Los Angeles, California and unsuccessfully argued the famous Cohen v...
- Robert Mitsuhiro TakasugiRobert Mitsuhiro TakasugiRobert Mitsuhiro Takasugi was a United States federal judge.-Early life:Takasugi was born in Tacoma, Washington. When he was 12 years old, he and his family were interned in the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, part of the World War II internment of 130,000 Japanese Americans.After the war,...
(1930-2009) - Joseph WapnerJoseph WapnerJoseph Albert Wapner is a former American judge and TV personality of the real-life courtroom-style show The People's Court, which ran in syndication from 1981 to 1993 for 2,484 episodes....
Jurors
- 3.1 million of the County's residents are called for jury duty each year
- 1 million people became qualified jurors
- Between 7,000 to 10,000 people serve as jurors every day
- Over 5,500 jury trials are held each year
- Average length of a trial is about 7 days
- $15 per day and 34 cents per miles (one way) compensation after the first day
- 18 years of age or older, citizen of the United States and a resident of Los Angeles County are minimum requirements
Notable cases
- Hillside StranglerHillside StranglerThe Hillside Strangler is the media epithet for two men, cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, who were convicted of kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 28 years old during a four-month period from late 1977 to early 1978...
- Marvin vs. Marvin palimony case
- Charles Manson murdersCharles MansonCharles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
- O. J. Simpson murder caseO. J. Simpson murder caseThe O. J. Simpson murder case was a criminal trial held in Los Angeles County, California Superior Court from January 29 to October 3, 1995. Former American football star and actor O. J...
- The Onion FieldThe Onion FieldThe Onion Field is a 1973 nonfiction book by Joseph Wambaugh, a sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department, chronicling the kidnapping of two plainclothes LAPD officers by a pair of criminals during an evening traffic stop and the subsequent murder of Officer Ian James Campbell.- Crime :On the...
- Paul v. ClintonPaul v. ClintonPaul v. Clinton is a civil suit filed in 2004 and currently being held in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The plaintiff Peter F. Paul, alleges that President Bill Clinton and his wife, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, deceived him into paying for the Gala Hollywood Farewell Salute to...
- John Ritter wrongful death lawsuit
See also
- Superior Court of Santa Clara CountySuperior Court of Santa Clara CountyThe Superior Court of Santa Clara County is the California Superior Court for Santa Clara County.-Judges:The current judges are:* Joyce Allegro* Mary Arand* Kenneth Paul Barnum* Thang Nguyen Barrett* Paul R. Bernal* Susan Bernardini* Arthur Bocanegra...
- Superior Court of Sacramento County
- Alameda County Superior CourtAlameda County Superior CourtThe Alameda County Superior Court is the branch of the California Superior Court with jurisdiction over Alameda County.-History:The original courthouse was established on June 6, 1853, in Alvarado, California . After the county seat moved to Oakland , a new courthouse was built in 1875, locating...