History of the Court

In 1867, Fresno County's first one-story courthouse was built in the town of Millerton at a cost of $24,000. When the area was later devastated by a flood, the seat of County government was moved to its present location in 1874. The second Fresno County Courthouse was completed in August 1875 at a cost of $56,000 and was three stories tall. The building's two courtrooms were located on the second floor with ceilings that reached 22 feet. The first Superior Court judge was Samuel Ash Holmes who was appointed in 1879. In 1893, a new copper dome was erected on the courthouse and two wings were added. On the evening of July 29, 1895, streams of molten copper flowed from the huge dome as a fire gutted the central portion of the building. Within the year, the damages were repaired and a more modest dome replaced the copper one destroyed by the fire. The second courthouse was eventually torn down and the present day courthouse completed in 1966.

In June 1998, the California electorate approved constitutional amendments permitting Superior and Municipal Courts to fully unify. The judges in Fresno County agreed to unify all Fresno County courts into the Superior Court of Fresno County effective July 1, 1998, abolishing the Municipal Courts. The Superior Court currently has 41 judges, 8 commissioners, and approximately 500 employees. Other downtown Fresno courts include Civil Division, Juvenile Dependency, Juvenile Delinquency, Family Support, and two criminal courts located in the Main Jail Annex. Besides the Downtown Courthouse, courts are located in Clovis, Coalinga, Firebaugh, Kingsburg, Reedley, Sanger, and Selma.