The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara is the state trial court in and for Santa Clara County, California.
History
San Jose was chosen as the initial site for the state's capitol in 1849, which it held until 1851, when legislators voted to move to Vallejo. After Santa Clara County was formed on April 25, 1851, a contest was held to select a design for a new building worthy of being a state capitol in 1860. The winning entry, designed by Levi Goodrich, was constructed from 1866 to 1868 at a cost of .
The courthouse was destroyed by fire in May 1931. Reconstruction work began in December 1931 and completed in August 1932; a dedication ceremony for the reconstructed courthouse was held on September 17. As originally completed in 1868, the courthouse was topped by a copper-covered dome; the copper sheathing melted in the intense heat from the 1931 fire and the dome was removed during reconstruction. After the disastrous 1931 fire and rebuilding, it survives today as the Old Courthouse, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the St. James Square National Historic District in 1979.
A modern courthouse was completed in 1964, replacing an older Hall of Records which had been built adjacent to the county courthouse. The Hall of Justice, located a few blocks to the north, was completed in 1991. The Family Justice Center was completed in 2016, consolidating court operations from six different facilities in a single building.
The doctrine of corporate personhood in US law is commonly traced to the 1886 decision of the United States Supreme Court in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, which started in this court.
Courthouses
Downtown Superior Court, Downtown San Jose Family Justice Center, Downtown San Jose Hall of Justice, San Jose Juvenile Justice Courthouse, San Jose Old Courthouse, Downtown San Jose Palo Alto Courthouse, Palo Alto Santa Clara Courthouse, Santa Clara South County Courthouse, Morgan Hill
Closed Park Center Family Court, Downtown San Jose (closed August 15, 2016) Notre Dame Courthouse, Notre Dame Avenue, Downtown San Jose (closed August 22, 2016) Ruff Drive Courthouse, Ruff Drive, San Jose (closed 2008) Sunnyvale Courthouse, Sunnyvale (closed August 15, 2016) Terraine Courthouse, Terraine Street, Downtown San Jose (closed August 22, 2016)
Areas Served The Court serves the Incorporated Cities, Towns & Census Designated Places of Santa Clara County. (Incorporated Cities and or Towns are marked with an asterisk (*).)
Alum Rock Burbank Cambrian Park Campbell* Cupertino* East Foothills Fruitdale Gilroy* Lexington Hills Los Altos* Los Altos Hills* Los Gatos* Loyola Milpitas* Monte Sereno* Morgan Hill* Mountain View* Palo Alto* San Jose* San Martin Santa Clara* Saratoga* Stanford Sunnyvale*
Judges Present The following judicial officers serve on the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County, as of June 2019:
Charles F. Adams Javier Alcala Julia L. Alloggiamento Mary E. Arand Jacqueline M. Arroyo Kenneth Paul Barnum Thang Nguyen Barrett Paul R. Bernal Brooke A. Blecher Arthur Bocanegra Griffin M. J. Bonini Shelyna V. Brown David A. Cena Sharon A. Chatman Vincent J. Chiarello Frederick S. Chung L. Michael Clark Paul O. Colin Le Jacqueline Duong Julie A. Emede Rebeca Esquivel-Pedroza Micael Estremera Andrea E. Flint Maureen A. Folan Jose S. Franco Eric S. Geffon Matthew S. Harris Robert Hawk Roberta S. Hayashi Cindy Seely Hendrickson Joseph H. Huber Audra Ibarra Nahal Iravani-Sani Nicole Isger Peter H. Kirwan Nona L. Klippen Thomas E. Kuhnle Kelley Kulick Sunil R. Kulkarni Edward Frederick Lee Cynthia C. Lie Patricia M. Lucas Katherine Lucero Stephen V. Manley Socrates Peter Manoukian JoAnne McCracken Beth A. R. McGowen Michele McKay McCoy William J. Monahan Daniel T. Nishigaya Carol W. Overton Lori E. Pegg Evette D. Pennypacker Elizabeth C. Peterson Mark H. Pierce Hector E. Ramon Amber Rosen Christopher G. Rudy Deborah A. Ryan Panteha E. Saban Shawna M. Schwarz Stuart J. Scott Cynthia A. Sevely Julianne Sylva Drew C. Takaichi Patrick E. Tondreau James E. Towery Jesus Valencia, Jr. Brian Walsh Joshua Weinstein Helen E. Williams Charles E. Wilson, II Erica R. Yew Theodore C. Zayner Vanessa A. Zecher Carrie A. Zepeda
Commissioners
Christine Copeland Jillian M. Laxton Johanna Thai Van Dat Benjamin Williams Erik S. Johnson
Notable past judges
Ray J. Cunningham LaDoris Cordell Edward J. Davila Jeremy Fogel Mary Greenwood Eugene Michael Hyman Lucy H. Koh Jack Komar Mary Jo Levinger Aaron Persky, Recalled by voters in 2018 after his sentencing of Brock Turner in People v. Turner
References
External links
Official website