Redwood Township Justice Court and Redwood Judicial District Court records, 1937-1964
Finding aid author: Mark Cooper.
This work is licensed by Sonoma County Library under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Published Feb 28, 2011
Redwood Township Justice Court and Redwood Judicial District Court records, 1937/1964
Sonoma County Library
Collection Title: Redwood Township Justice Court and Redwood Judicial District Court records,
Dates: 1937-1964
Identification: SCG.00023
Creator:
California. Justice Court (Redwood, Calif. : Township)
California. Municipal Court (Redwood Judicial District)
Physical Description:
8 volumes
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Sonoma County Library Archives
Abstract: Collection contains Redwood Township Justice Court records, including matters relating to Fish and Game. Records are variously
titled as "Criminal Docket" or "Criminal Justice Docket." Includes the criminal justice docket for the Redwood Township Justice
Court and its successor, the Redwood Judicial District Court, in Sonoma County, California between 1937 and 1964 and Small
Claims Court docket for the Redwood Judicial District Court, in Sonoma County, California, between 1960 and 1963.
Biography/Organization History
Prior to June 1998, California's trial courts consisted of Superior and Municipal courts, each with its own jurisdiction and
with its number of judges fixed by the Legislature; prior to 1951, the Redwood Township Justice Court was one of twelve such
inferior courts in the County. The Justice Court (also known as the Redwood Township Justice's Court; more formally designated
as the State of California's Justice Court for Redwood Township), had jurisdiction over Redwood Township in northwestern Sonoma
County, California, which included the City of Guerneville, Monte Rio, Jenner, Fort Ross and other coastal and inland settlements.
The Redwood court, like other justice courts, was an inferior local tribunal for the adjudication of minor causes and the
preservation of the peace. By the Act of March 16, 1850, which divided up the state into judicial districts, "the term of
office of a justice of the peace was fixed at one year. Two justices were allowed to each township, also two constables, the
officers who serve the processes of the court. The jurisdiction of a justice extended to the limits of the township for which
he was elected. He had cognizance of actions on contract, for damages, and to recover specific property, when the amount or
value did not exceed $200. In 1851, his powers were considerably increased. He had jurisdiction of actions to recover money,
for damages to personal property, for fines, penalties and forfeitures, actions on bonds, enforcement of lien on personal
property, actions to recover personal property and judgment by confession, where the amount in all these cases did not exceed
$8,500, and on a bond taken by him if the amount did exceed that sum, cases of forcible entry and detainer, and the trial
of the right of mining claims. The criminal jurisdiction embraced vagrancy, disorder, petty larceny, assault and battery,
breaches of the peace, and all misdemeanors punishable by a fine of not more than $500 and not more than one year's imprisonment.
In 1863, forcible entry and detainer cases were transferred to the county court, and the civil jurisdiction was reduced to
amounts not exceeding $300. In 1870, the jurisdiction of cases of misdemeanor was extended to fines of $1,000 and imprisonment
for one year: but in 1874 it was reduced to fines of $500 and six months' imprisonment. In 1863, the term of office of justices
and constables was increased to two years. The new constitution preserved the justice courts as before." (source: Wells, Harry
Laurenz, 1854-1940. History of Butte County. San Francisco : H. L. Wells, 1882.)
The Redwood Township Justice Court was reorganized in 1952 as part of the State of California's inferior court reorganization
program authorized by the voters as California Proposition 3 in 1950, which combined the offices of the township justices
of the peace and city police court judges; the Redwood Township Justice Court and Sebastopol City Police Court were combined
as the Redwood Judicial District Court or more formally, the State of California's Municipal Court for the Redwood Judicial
District) on Jan. 1, 1952. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance on April 14, 1959 that authorized
annexation of Redwood Judicial District by the Santa Rosa Municipal District, pending authorization by the State Legislature
to provide a second judge for the Santa Rosa Municipal District.
A number of other reorganizations and consolidations of the County's District Courts took place over the next four decades
until the District Courts and other inferior courts were absorbed into the Superior Court following another voter-authorized
reorganization in 1998, California Proposition 220.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection.
California. Justice Court (Redwood, Calif. : Township)
California. Municipal Court (Redwood Judicial District)
Criminal justice, Administration of-- California -- Guerneville
Important Information for Users of the Collection
Materials stored offsite, but collection is open to research. In many cases, further details on individual volumes can be
found by calling staff at the Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library. To view these materials, please call staff at
707 308-3212 to request they be brought from the Archives to the Library
Property rights reside with the Sonoma County Library. The Sonoma County Library has made this collection available and believes
that the collection is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its
copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Collection may not be in the Public Domain under the laws
of other countries. Preferred credit line is: Courtesy, the Sonoma County Library. Please see additional reproduction and
reuse information at
https://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library/order-photo
In many cases, further details on individual volumes can be learned by calling staff at the Sonoma County History and Genealogy
Library. To see these materials, please call staff at (707) 308-3212 to request they be brought from the Archives to the
Library
Redwood Township Justice Court records, 1937-1964. SCG.00023, Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Series. Arranged in two series: I. Criminal docket; and II. Small claims court. Chronological by volume.
Official documents.
SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00023.Ser.I
Series I. Criminal docket
1937-1964
Note:
Series content list:
1937-1941 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Criminal Justice Docket : Accession 2214
1941-1944 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Criminal Justice Docket : Accession 2215
1944-1948 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Criminal Justice Docket : Accession 2216
1947-1962 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Criminal Docket Fish and Game : Accession 2240
1948-1955 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Criminal Justice Docket : Accession 2236
1955-1958 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Criminal Justice Docket : Accession 2217
1961-1963 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Justice Docket Criminal #2 : Accession 2238
1963-1964 : ARCHIVES CABINET 27 : Justice Docket Criminal Fish and Game : Accession 2241
Physical Description:
Extent: 8 volumes
SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00023.Ser.II
Series II. Small claims court
1960-1963
Note:
Series content list:
1960-1963 : ARCHIVES CABINET 36 : Volume [???] : Accession 2649