Santa Clara County Superior Court


The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara is the state trial court in and for Santa Clara County, California.
WWW scscourt.org

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

;Closed
  • Park Center Family Court, Downtown San Jose
  • Notre Dame Courthouse, Notre Dame Avenue, Downtown San Jose
  • Ruff Drive Courthouse, Ruff Drive, San Jose
  • Sunnyvale Courthouse, Sunnyvale
  • Terraine Courthouse, Terraine Street, Downtown San Jose

Areas Served

The Court serves the Incorporated Cities, Towns & Census Designated Places of Santa Clara County.

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