An imaginary case involving self-driving vehicle technology, civic activism and a murder has drawn hundreds of local high school students into courtrooms for the 14th Annual San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition. The annual event, sponsored by the San Diego Superior Court, the San Diego County Bar Association, and Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), is a program that gives students hands-on experience in learning about the law and the Constitution. This year’s pretrial issue involves the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Judge Gale E. Kaneshiro, a jurist who spent a three-decade judicial career presiding over criminal and appellate cases, will officially retire from San Diego Superior Court on February 29, 2020. Appointed to the Municipal Bench in 1989 by then governor George Deukmejian, Judge Kaneshiro elevated to the Superior Court in 1998 through court consolidation. Judge Kaneshiro presided for more than two decades in criminal courtrooms and numerous high profile cases including: People v.

A well-known, experienced jurist who has presided over some of the court’s most high-profile cases is stepping down. Judge Louis R. Hanoian is retiring after serving more than 27 years on the bench. Appointed to the municipal bench in 1993 by then-governor Pete Wilson, Judge Hanoian elevated to the Superior Court in 1998 through court consolidation. Assigned to the East County courthouse at the beginning of his judicial career, he has spent the remainder of his time on the bench at the Central Courthouse downtown.

After a nearly seven-year absence, court reporters will once again be available in certain Family Court proceedings. Court reporters were eliminated from Family Court cases beginning in 2012, and further reduced in 2017 as the Superior Court faced unprecedented budget cuts. Beginning March 2, 2020, court reporters will now be available in all Family Court proceedings at court expense, with the exception of Family Law trials.

The San Diego Superior Court is closing all its courtrooms and business offices two days in February. The Court will be closed on: Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Monday, February 17, 2020 The holiday closures are in observance of the statewide holidays commemorating Lincoln’s Birthday and Presidents’ Day.

Scammers are using electronic trickery to fool callers into believing they are getting a call from a San Diego Superior Court phone. The South County Courthouse has received calls from members of the Hispanic community stating they received a call from a Court number. The caller is telling potential victims they have a pending case and they must deposit money into a bank account or there will be a warrant for their arrest. The scammers are apparently using software so their outgoing calls will display as an official Court phone number in Caller ID.

In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. statewide holiday, the San Diego Superior Court will close all courtrooms and business offices on Monday, January 20, 2020. The public is urged to visit the court’s website at sdcourt.ca.gov to handle traffic tickets or obtain court information.