Lassen County Superior Court

The Superior Court of California, County of Lassen, also known as the Lassen County Superior Court or Lassen Superior Court, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Lassen County.

Lassen County Superior Court
Map
40°24′33″N 120°38′25″W / 40.40909°N 120.64022°W / 40.40909; -120.64022
Established1864
JurisdictionLassen County, California
Location
Coordinates40°24′33″N 120°38′25″W / 40.40909°N 120.64022°W / 40.40909; -120.64022
Appeals toCalifornia Court of Appeal for the Third District
Websitelassen.courts.ca.gov
Presiding Judge
CurrentlyHon. Mark Nareau[1]
Court Executive Officer
CurrentlyTeresa Stalter[1]

History edit

Lassen County was partitioned from Plumas and Shasta counties in 1864.[2] I.J. Harvey was appointed as the first County Judge that May.[3]: 350  Judge Harvey opened the first session on June 6, 1864. In 1880, the County Court was dissolved and replaced by the Superior Court system under the new California constitution. The first Superior Court judge was J.W. Hendrick, elected in 1879.[4]: 374 

At the district level, Judge Gordon N. Mott presided over the First Judicial District of Nevada Territory, which was in Susanville and covered the counties of Storey, Washoe, and Lake (later Roop).[4]: 373  The Second Judicial District was established in 1864, consisting of Lassen, Plumas, Butte, and Tehama counties; the first judge was Warren T. Sexton of Butte County, who opened his first term in Susanville on October 10, 1864. Judge Sexton was succeeded by Charles F. Lott in January 1870. A new Twenty-First Judicial District was established in 1876, covering Lassen, Modoc, and Plumas counties; the first judge of the 21st was John D. Goodwin, who was later replaced by G. G. Clough. Judge Clough held the position until the Judicial District was integrated into the Superior Court system under the 1880 constitution.[4]: 374 

The county's justice system was divided into Justice Courts, which were equivalent to municipal courts, and a Superior Court, which held jurisdiction over the entire county. The Justice Courts were established in Standish, Susanville, Westwood, Ravendale, and Bieber. The Standish and Ravendale courts were moved into the Susanville location in the mid-1900s, and the Westwood and Bieber courts were integrated into Susanville in 1976, consolidating all Justice Court locations. The Justice Court was renamed to Municipal Court in 1994, and the Municipal and Superior Courts were consolidated in 1999.[5]

 
Lassen County Court House (completed 1917)

The first sessions of court were held in the Masonic Lodge and Magnolia Saloon until a two-story wooden building was built in 1867.[6] It was succeeded by the Lassen County Court House in Susanville, which was completed in 1917 to a design by George Sellon;[7][8] courthouse operations were consolidated and moved in 2012 to the new Hall of Justice.[9]

Venues edit

Lassen County Superior Court locations:[10]
1
220 S Lassen St (old courthouse)
2
2610 Riverside Dr (Hall of Justice)

The old county courthouse is being used for county administration.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Court Leadership". Superior Court of California, County of Lassen. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  2. ^ California State Assembly. "An Act to create the County of Lassen, to define its boundaries, and provide for its organization". Fourteenth Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. CCLXI p. 264. direct URL
  3. ^ Fairfield, Asa Merrill (1916). "X. 1864". Fairfield's Pioneer History of Lassen County, California to 1870. San Francisco: H. S. Crocker Company. pp. 338–363. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "History of Lassen County, California: The bench and bar". Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties, with California from 1513 to 1850. San Francisco: Fariss & Smith. 1882. pp. 373–378. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  5. ^ "History of Lassen Superior Court". Superior Court of California, County of Lassen. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Lassen County". California Supreme Court Historical Society. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  7. ^ Deacon, John (2015). "Lassen County". American Courthouses. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Lassen County, California". Courthouse History. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Lassen County, Hall of Justice". California Courts. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Location & Directions". The Superior Court of California, County of Lassen. Retrieved 13 July 2021.

External links edit