Kern County Superior Court

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

Kern County Superior Court
Established1866
JurisdictionKern County, California
Location
Appeals toCalifornia Court of Appeal for the Fifth District
Websitekern.courts.ca.gov
Presiding Judge
CurrentlyHon. Eric Bradshaw[1]
Assistant Presiding Judge
CurrentlyHon. Colette Humphrey[1]
Court Executive Officer
CurrentlyTamarah Harber-Pickens[2]

History

Kern County was partitioned from Tulare, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties in 1866,[3] following a failed effort to establish Buena Vista County which started in 1855.[4]

The initial county seat was set in Havilah, and the governor appointed Theron Reed as the county judge. At their first two meetings, held August 1–2, 1866, the county board of supervisors purchased a site for the courthouse for $800 and let a contract to T.H. Binnex, who built a wooden structure for $2200. The Havilah courthouse served the county until 1874, when the county seat was moved to Bakersfield; at that point, the original courthouse was dismantled and the lumber was sold to P.T. Colby, who reassembled it on Chester Avenue in Bakersfield as a house.[5]: 61–62 

Although Bakersfield failed to win the county seat in the election of February 15, 1873, it prevailed in another election held on January 26, 1874. Following state authorization of a bond for $25,000 to build a new courthouse and jail, George B. Chester donated the block of land southwest of the intersection of Truxtun and Chester on September 1, 1874, and A.W. Burrell was awarded the construction contract for $29,999 on October 5. The new courthouse was accepted by the supervisors on April 3, 1876.[6]: 73–75  The architect for the 1876 courthouse was Albert A. Bennett.[7] An addition to the courthouse was authorized on May 13, 1889[8]: 96 [9]: 111  and completed on June 11, 1896.[10]: 124  The architects for the 1896 addition were Charles & Barnett McDougall.[7]

Kern County Courthouse, Bakersfield, California (completed 1912)

A new court house was approved by voters on September 14, 1909, and construction began in July 1910; the construction contract was awarded to Frederick J. Amweg for $340,827. The new courthouse, completed in 1912, was built east across Chester from the 1896 courthouse, between Truxtun and Fifteenth; the 1896 courthouse was sold to the city of Bakersfield on July 9, 1913, to serve as its city hall.[11]: 155–156  The 1912 courthouse was designed by Frederick Meyers.[7] Both the 1896 and 1912 courthouses were damaged by the 1952 Kern County earthquake and eventually torn down.[12]

The Kern County courthouse (1415 Truxtun) that replaced the 1912 building was completed in 1959 to a design by Ernest L McCoy; although it is still standing and a few cases are still tried there, the County Justice Building, completed in 1980 one block east at 1215 Truxtun, has largely replaced the 1959 courthouse.[13]

Venues
🌍
Kern County Superior Court locations:
1
2100 College Ave (Juvenile, Bakersfield)
2
1215 & 1415 Truxtun Ave (Metro, Bakersfield)
 1661 L St (Jury Services, Bakersfield)
3
3131 Arrow St (Traffic, Bakersfield)
4
5555 California Ave, Ste 100 (Revenue, Bakersfield)
5
1122 Jefferson St (Delano)
6
7046 Lake Isabella Blvd (Kern River / Lake Isabella)
7
12022 Main St (Lamont)
8
1773 State Hwy 58 Bus (Mojave)
9
132 E Coso Ave (Ridgecrest)
10
325 Central Valley Hwy (Shafter)
11
311 Lincoln St (Taft)

Bakersfield, the county seat, includes the main court buildings; there are seven satellite locations around the county.

References
  1. "Judicial Officers List". Superior Court of California, County of Kern. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  2. "Presiding Judge Judith K. Dulcich and Court Executive Officer Tamarah Harber-Pickens announce innovations in court operations" (Press release). Superior Court of California, County of Kern. April 28, 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  3. California State Assembly. "An Act to create the County of Kern, to define its boundaries, and to provide for its organization". Sixteenth Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. DLXIX p. 796. direct URL
  4. California State Assembly. "An Act to Organize the County of Buena Vista". Sixth Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. CLXI p. 203. direct URL
  5. Morgan, Wallace M. (1914). "VI: Organization of the County". History of Kern County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. pp. 61–65. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  6. Morgan, Wallace M. (1914). "VIII: Bakersfield Becomes the County Metropolis". History of Kern County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. pp. 72–79. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  7. "Kern County, California". Courthouse History. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. Morgan, Wallace M. (1914). "X: A Collection of Disconnected Stories". History of Kern County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. pp. 89–97. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  9. Morgan, Wallace M. (1914). "XII: First Attempt at Colonization". History of Kern County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. pp. 110–116. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  10. Morgan, Wallace M. (1914). "XIII: Important Events of a Decade, 1890-1900". History of Kern County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. pp. 117–125. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  11. Morgan, Wallace M. (1914). "XV: Progress of the County from 1900 to 1913". History of Kern County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. pp. 148–172. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  12. "Kern County". California Supreme Court Historical Society. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  13. Deacon, John (2015). "Kern County". American Courthouses. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
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