Sonoma County Municipal Court records, 1952-1980

Finding aid author: Mark Cooper.
Published by the Sonoma County Library
Published Feb 28, 2011
Sonoma County Library
6135 State Farm Drive
Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Sonoma County Municipal Court records, 1952-1980

Sonoma County Library

Overview of the Collection

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,
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.

Court History

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.

Scope and Contents

Official records of the Sonoma County Municipal Court.

Arrangement of the collection

Organized into six series:
  1. Civil register case [Civil docket], nos. 15084-25626, 1965-1975
  2. Criminal register [Criminal docket], v.1-64, 1955-1980
  3. Plaintiff, 1952-1955
  4. Law and motion orders of examinations, 1967-1974
  5. Court trial minutes, 1967-1974
  6. Defendant [register], 1967-1974
Arranged by case number with each year.

Access Terms

This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Topical Terms

Civil procedure--California--Sonoma County
Criminal justice, Administration of--California--Sonoma County
Courts--California--Sonoma County

Genre and Format Terms

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

Conditions Governing Access:

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.

Publication Rights

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

Preferred Citation:

Sonoma County Municipal Court records, 1952-1980. Sonoma County Archives, Sonoma County Library, Rohnert Park, California.

 

SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00063.01
Series 1. Civil register case nos. 15084-25626 1965-1975

Note:
v. 46-66, books 1-7.
Physical Description:
Extent: [20?] volumes

Scope and Contents

Name changed to Civil docket with 5. 67
 

SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00063.02
Series 2. Criminal register v.1-64 1955-1980

Note:
v. 1-64 (1955-1980) : ARCHIVES ROW 1, BINS 1-2, 6
Physical Description:
Extent: 64 volumes

Scope and Contents

Name changed to criminal docket with v.17
 

SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00063.03
Series 3. Plaintiff 1952-1955
Accession no: 2791

Note:
Cabinet 38
Physical Description:
Extent: 1 volume
 

SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00063.04
Series 4. Law and motion orders of examinations 1967-1974

Note:
Series content list:
1967-1968 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 4 : Accession 2042
1968 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 15 : Accession 2053
1968-1969 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 6 : Accession 2044
1968-1972 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 1 : Accession 2057
1969 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 7 : Accession 2043
1969-1970 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 8 : Accession 2046
1970 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 9 : Accession 2045
1970-1971 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 10 : Accession 2048
1971 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 11 : Accession 2047
1971-1972 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 12 : Accession 2050
1972 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 13 : Accession 2049
1972-1973 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 15 : Accession 2051
1972 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 14 : Accession 2052
1973 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 16 : Accession 2054
1973 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 17 : Accession 2055
1974 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 18 : Accession 2056

Scope and Contents

Also known as Law & motion, order of examination minutes
 

SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00063.05
Series 5. Court trial minutes 1967-1974

Note:
Series content list:
1967-1972 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 1 : Accession 2041
1968-1972 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 1 : Accession 2058
1972-1974 : ARCHIVES CABINET 25 : Volume 2 : Accession 2040
 

SCL Special Collections Control Number: SCG.00063.06
Series 6. Defendant [register] 1955-1959
Accession no: 2792

Note:
Cabinet 38
Physical Description:
Extent: 1 volume