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Sonoma County Municipal Court records, 1952-1980
SCG.00063
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Collection Title: Sonoma County Municipal Court records,
Date (inclusive): 1952-1980
Identification: SCG.00063
Creator:
California. Municipal Court (Sonoma County)
California. Municipal Court (Santa Rosa Judicial District)
California. Municipal Court (Sonoma County Central Judicial District)
California. Municipal Court (Sonoma County Judicial District)
Physical Description:
3 volumes
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Sonoma County Library Archives
c/o Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library, Sonoma County Library
725 Third Street
Santa Rosa, CA,
Email:
history@sonomalibrary.org
Phone:
(707) 308-3212
Abstract: This collection contains records of the Sonoma County Municipal Court, under the jurisdiction of the Santa Rosa Judicial District,
Sonoma County Central Judicial District and finally, Sonoma County Judicial District. Records include criminal and civil dockets,
court trial minutes, etc.
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, twelve inferior courts with municipal or judicial township
jurisdiction were designated by the Board of Supervisors to try civil and lesser criminal cases in the County. The County
Court (also known as the Sonoma County Justice Court; more formally designated as the State of California's County Court for
Sonoma County), served as referees for the Juvenile Court, among other duties involving minor offenses. The County 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 municipal and township justices of the peace and city
police court judges; the Santa Rosa Justice Court and other, local municipal courts were combined as the Santa Rosa Judicial
District Court, or more formally, the State of California's Municipal Court for the Santa Rosa Judicial District on Jan. 1,
1952. The Santa Rosa Judicial District aborbed the Cotati-Rohnert Park area in 1964 and changed names to the Sonoma County
Central Judicial District in 1965 when it was consolidated with the Redwood Judicial District, with the Court referred to
as the Municipal Court for the Sonoma County Central District). The name later changed again to the Sonoma County Judicial
District. The Northern Sonoma County Judicial District was consolidated with the Sonoma County Judicial District in 1971
A number of other reorganizations and consolidations of the County's District Courts took place over the next two 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.
Official records of the Sonoma County Municipal Court.
Organized into six series:
- Civil register case [Civil docket], nos. 15084-25626, 1965-1975
- Criminal register [Criminal docket], v.1-64, 1955-1980
- Plaintiff, 1952-1955
- Law and motion orders of examinations, 1967-1974
- Court trial minutes, 1967-1974
- Defendant [register], 1967-1974
Arranged by case number with each year.
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Civil procedure--California--Sonoma County
Criminal justice, Administration of--California--Sonoma County
Courts--California--Sonoma County
Civil court records
Criminal court records
Dockets
Registers (lists)
Minutes (administrative records)
Judicial records
County government records
Archival materials
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
Conditions of Use
Collection does not circulate and may be photocopied or photographed by arrangement only.
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
Sonoma County Municipal Court records, 1952-1980. Sonoma County Archives, Sonoma County Library, Rohnert Park, California.