Collection Guide
Collection Title:
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Sacramento County (Calif.) Justice Court records
CNTY0017
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Center for Sacramento History
Title: Sacramento County (Calif.) Justice Court records
Identifier/Call Number: CNTY0017
Physical Description:
14.25 Linear Feet
(1 record carton, 1 manuscript box, 79 ledgers)
Date (inclusive): 1849-1962
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from the California State Archives along with other Sacramento County records in 1980 (accession #1980/132).
The California State Constitution of 1850 created the Justice Courts as part of the Court of Sessions. Under this act, there
were to be two justices of the peace in each county. Jurisdiction in civil cases was limited to the township from which the
justice of the peace was elected, and included recovery of money under contracts of $200 or less, actions for foreclosures
of any mortgage or personal property or enforcement of a lien of $200 or less, actions for damages of $200 or less, and actions
for recovery of specific property of less than $200 value. Criminal jurisdiction included examination and commitment of persons
charged with crimes, issuance of writs and processes, and setting of bail. Under the State Constitution of 1879, when the
Superior Court system was created, the duties of the Justice Court remained basically the same.
The collection is made up of Justice Court records from Sacramento County. They cover specific cities and townships, including
Sacramento, American, Brighton, Folsom, Franklin, Granite, Natoma (included Folsom and Mormon Island), and San Joaquin. Material
is specific to Sacramento unless otherwise identified by another township.
Material includes civil and criminal case files, dockets, and registers; dockets specific to motor vehicle violations; and
fee books.
The collection is arranged into 3 series:
- Series 1. Sacramento civil, criminal, and estray case files
- Series 2. Sacramento dockets and registers
- Series 3. Other city and townships records