Pasadena Courthouse Confirmed as Hub Court in Superior Court Consolidation

Pasadena Courthouse will continue to function as a “hub court” in hearing eviction or unlawful detainer cases after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Tuesday a federal judge’s decision dismissing a case seeking to restore far-flung courthouses closed in 2013 because of financial troubles.

As a result, the Pasadena Courthouse will continue to be one of just seven courthouses in the entire county which hears these rent-related cases.

Tenants and landlords in other parts of Los Angeles County may have to drive many traffic-clogged miles to get to court, but Pasadenans don’t.

In its decision, the appeals court said federal judges are barred from ordering the Los Angeles Superior Court to reopen closed courthouses.

Four nonprofit groups and two individuals sued the state in March 2013, claiming the courthouse closures impacted the poor, the disabled and minority residents.

The Superior Court, considered the largest trial court in the country, had earlier reduced 26 neighborhood courthouses into five “hub” courts that hear eviction proceedings. These hub courts are in Pasadena, Long Beach, downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Lancaster.

The reduction was part of a consolidation plan it undertook after losing $110 million in state funding between 2008 and 2012 and another $56 million in 2013.

Los Angeles used to have many courthouses throughout the county serving its more than 10 million residents, under its prized “neighborhood court” model.

Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen of the 9th Circuit Court wrote that since 2000, 20 of 58 Los Angeles courthouses have closed after the “neighborhood court” model had become too expensive. Along with the closures came a number of layoffs and furloughs for court workers, increased fees and fines and reduced services.

“Out of respect for the independence of state judiciaries, a federal court cannot substitute its judgment for (the Los Angeles Superior Court’s) resource allocation choices,” Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen, wrote for the three-judge appeals panel.

Since 2013, Los Angeles has added hub courts in Norwalk and Van Nuys, the 9th Circuit Court decision said.