The original courthouse was established on June 6, 1853, in Alvarado, California. After the county seat moved to Oakland, a new courthouse was built in 1875, locating near Oakland's Washington Square. However, the building quickly fell into disrepair by the mid-1920s to a point where bailiffs had to hold umbrellas for judges due to leaks. On April 3, 1934, county residents voted overwhelming in support for a bond initiative to build a new county courthouse. The new building was built on the edge of Lake Merritt, where it still stands today, as the René C. Davidson Courthouse. The old courthouse was demolished in 1949. The court currently occupies a number of courthouses throughout the county. In 1925, future Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Earl Warren was appointed District Attorney of Alameda County.
Courthouses
René C. Davidson Courthouse, built in 1934 in Oakland to house the entire Alameda County Superior Court.
*Used mostly for felony criminal cases. Includes a civil division clerk's office and appeals unit.
Pursuant to California Government Code § and the Judicial Council § 10.613, the Alameda County Superior Court has adopted for its government and the government of its officers. Pursuant to California Rule of Court 2.506 and Government Code Section 68150, courts may impose fees for the costs of providing access to its electronic records. Several superior courts do so, including Alameda, Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, and San Diego, and the fees have been criticized as exorbitant and extraordinarily high, with the Alameda County Superior Court fees being the subject of a MoveOn.org petition.
Officers
There are several officers of the court, including judges, jurors, commissioners, prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, bailiffs, and court reporters.
Judges
Victoria Kolakowski, first transgender trial judge in the United States
Paul Seeman, arrested at the Wiley Manuel courthouse and charged with elder theft, June 14, 2012. He resigned from the court on March 21, 2013, prior to resolution of his case.
Commissioners
A commissioner is a subordinate judicial officer elected by the judges of the Court and given the power to hear and make decisions in certain kinds of legal matters, similar to the United States magistrate judge. Their jurisdiction includes, but is not limited to, traffic matters, family law and juvenile cases, criminal misdemeanors, and criminal felony cases through the preliminary hearing stage.
Prosecutors
The Alameda County District Attorney, currently Nancy O'Malley, prosecutes crimes before the court on behalf of Superior Court of California, Alameda County, and all cities and special districts within Alameda County.
Public Defenders
The Alameda County Public Defender was the third public defender's office created in the nation, chartered in 1927 by Earl Warren, who would later go on to become Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During its first year, the office employed two lawyers. Today, there are over a hundred lawyers, twenty investigators and a support staff of forty, who together handle approximately 50,000 cases a year. In 2012, the office was named the "Best Law Firm" in the East Bay by the Alameda County Bar Association. The current head of the Public Defender's Office is Brendon Woods.
Clerks
The court clerks are responsible for clerical courtroom activities, interacting with the attorneys and the public, administering oaths, assisting with the impaneling juries, and are responsible for the inventory and safe-keeping of the exhibits.
