Trinity County Superior Court

Trinity County Superior Court
Trinity County Superior Court house in Weaverville (photographed in April 2020)
Established1850
JurisdictionTrinity County, California
Location
Appeals toCalifornia Court of Appeal for the Third District
Websitetrinity.courts.ca.gov
Presiding Judge
CurrentlyHon. Michael B. Harper[1]
Court Executive Officer
CurrentlyKaren Camper[2]

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

History

Trinity County was one of the original counties formed when California gained statehood in 1850.

The first courthouse was completed in 1853 as a three-storey wooden building at the intersection of Court and Church streets in the county seat of Weaverville. It had a footprint of 20 by 60 feet (6.1 m × 18.3 m). The third storey was purchased by the Trinity Masonic Lodge for US$500.[3] The 1853 Weaverville courthouse was condemned in an 1860 grand jury report, which found that "bed bugs had invaded the offices of the sheriff and the clerk, had defiled the records, and had even attacked a judge on the bench", prompting local officials to move.[4]

Trinity County Courthouse (1920)

Court operations moved into a newer brick building, shortly after it was purchased in 1865; the building formerly housed the Apollo Saloon and hotel.[4] The 1853 courthouse was destroyed in a September 1866 fire.[3] The brick building purchased in 1865 was built originally in 1856–57 for Henry Hocker as a saloon, store, and office building.[5] Trinity County purchased the building for US$9,000 (equivalent to $180,000 in 2023) in 1865, and it has since been remodeled and expanded in 1935, 1958, and 1976.[6][7][8] It is the second oldest courthouse still being used by a county-level California Superior Court;[4] the oldest is the 1854 courthouse used by the Mariposa County Superior Court.[6]

Venues

Map
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5km
3miles
2
Branch, 6641B SR 3 (Hayfork)
1
Main Courthouse, 11 Court St (Weaverville)
Trinity County Superior Court locations:
1
Main Courthouse, 11 Court St (Weaverville)
2
Branch, 6641B SR 3 (Hayfork)

In addition to the historic Weaverville courthouse, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Weaverville Historic District in 1971,[5] Trinity County Superior Court also holds regularly scheduled sessions at the county sheriff's substation in Hayfork and at the Community Center dining hall in Mad River. However, all jury trials are conducted in Weaverville.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Judicial Assignments". The Superior Court of California, County of Calaveras. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Calaveras County Superior Court Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Baseline Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021" (PDF). The Superior Court of California, County of Calaveras. September 30, 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "The Old Courthouse". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "History". The Superior Court of California, County of Trinity. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b "National Register Information System – Weaverville Historic District (#71000209)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Deacon, John. "Trinity County". American Courthouses. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Trinity County Courthouse". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Walking Tour of Historic Weaverville" (PDF). Trinity County Historical Society. June 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  9. ^ Strategic Plan 2016-2021 (PDF) (Report). Superior Court of California, County of Trinity. Retrieved 7 December 2020.


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