Santa Clara Hall of Justice

I don’t get it … when a car worth $ 500 get stolen and our tax dollar Pay $ 10,000 for that case trail to put that dump ass in prison … Just freaking lock him problem solved … wake up

We all have to do our civic duty! Some suggestions:
— park on the 4^th floor (no one up there)
— go in early on the day they call you (they don’t correlate the time they ask you in with the time you show up). If you go in before 10, you might actually get through the jury selection process in 1 day (I showed up at 10:45 and need to come back tomorrow)
— dont bring food into the courthouse (guy next to me had his food in his backpack taken away)
— despite what they say, there was no working internet/​wifi
— a scant few places in the jury room to charge your iphones/​ipads etc.
— they will validate parking
— court room allows no book reading, cell phone texting, etc etc
— court room allows NO FOOD or WATER (but I spotted two water bottles and a juror with a tray full of oreos eating right in front of the judge.)
— go to lunch at the sourdough eatery place on N 1^st — it will make you smile!
Not sure what a ‘rating’ means in this case…

Do you remember the TV show Bewitched? Well, I’m totally Gladys Kravitz, the nosy neighbor always peeking over the fence to see what’s going on. That’s why I am one of the FEW people on this planet that actually enjoys Jury Duty, you are being INVITED to hear the most absurd and scandalous stories!
This year I was not selected, but I did have the opportunity to hear the overview of the case, and watch the jury selection. Every time the judge would call the attorneys up to the bench to have a private discussion, I was dying inside wanting to hear what they were discussing … totally made me wish I had a bionic ear. They probably didn’t select me since they might have been creeped out by me in the front row with a big smile on my face as if I won the lottery.
Validated parking was nice, and of course with jury duty the cram you in a little room, and you wait.
… and wait
~ and wait some more.
Bring something to read, some hand sanitizer, & light snacks so you don’t go crazy.
I have a hunch when I’m retired I will find myself sitting in the courtroom just so I can listen to random cases, I’ll be the blue-​haired lady — I guess I won’t be knitting, since I have a sneaking suspicion that they wont let knitting needles pass through security.

Came in for a jury duty summons on Monday morning around 9am. There was a long line out the building, which is for going through the security checkpoint. After the security checkpoint, take the elevator or the stairway, both located directly behind the secuity checkpoint, to the second floor. Turn right when exiting elevator/​stairway and look for a short line for juror check-​in. It took about 10 minutes to get through the security checkpoint and checking in. Don’t bring any outside food or drink, along with other standard security no-no’s.
In the waiting room, just prior to getting your case assignment, there are vending machines for refreshments and bathrooms. The room also offers free wifi with username/​password assigned to you on your check-​in sheet. There is an Alhambra-​type water dispenser which looked low on water, but unfortunately it only dispensed stale warm water. Bottled water could be purchased for 1.75. restroom seemed to be in presentable shape with plenty of soap and warm water, so no sanitizer needed here.
In my case, when the group with my panel was called out, it was announced that the case was settled and we were done with our service. I was out before 9:30 or so. cool beans.
Free parking with validation: look for a skywalk near the destination. There is a parking garage entrance just underneath the skywalk and they accept parking validation. At the courthouse, be sure you get a blue stamp on the parking ticket. somehow I had handed the parking ticket to the clerk but it didn’t get stamped and I had to go back for it. Good thing I checked with the cashier before driving to the exit gate since normally you can skip the cashier and drive directly to the exit gate. I would hate to be stuck at the exit gates with a line of cars behind me with an unpaid and un-​validated parking ticket… So, be sure you get the blue stamp on the parking ticket, and don’t drive to the exit gate without it! :)

Had jury duty for 6 days here. Jury gets free validated parking. Its a pain to go through the entrance on Monday morning.
Juror room is better equipped compared to the other waiting room. The waiting room gets super packed around 1pm everyday. Waiting to be called is the worst may take several minutes to hours!
The juror room has some desks and charging stations as well as some puzzles for people that are probably there a very long time. There is a dirty microwave that needs to be cleaned in between the two rooms as well as a bathroom and vending machines.
The coffee kiosk on the first floor has excellent coffee except that the barista never looks happy.

Okay really? After growing up watching cartoons and specifically Justice League I am always inclined to ask the guards where a nice island girl might find Aquaman. well to my dismay and utter disappointment I was told that due to the budget cuts. and drought his water holding tank was no longer affordable and he was laid off (real story) I mean it is the Hall Of Justice and I wanted to see my childhood heroes. I was devastated to hear that Wonder Woman’s plane was a fuel hog and they had to auction it off, pension reform and special interests forced Batman & Superman into early retirement, but luckily they had lucrative movie deals, which saved them but the rest of the league was left to fend for themselves. Don’t tell but I heard the hotdog cart outside has a Justice League tip jar for their healthcare and retirement. Hey Pension Reform hits everyone. Thankfully the clerks in the offices can really help out in a pinch cuz our Justice League got canned. :) Here’s a good tip there is no cell service in the clerks office. if you need info get it on your phone before going in, or need to make a call, walk out to the front. you’re cell blocked in the cell block har !

it’s not that i’m a big fan of this place. but boooy, i expected much much worse. a review by
aka. Christine P. helped a lot.
first off, parking is as easy as 123.
the security checkpoint, well. if you’ve been to the airport, this is nothing.
i’m not going to write a whole lot — but, if you bring your gadgets, books, whatever, this experience is not that boring!
you c

It’s a government building. It’s old.
This is a review to help others get through the wonderful world of jury duty.
—–
Oh no! You got the dreaded jury summons in the mail! Maybe you postponed, maybe you didn’t. Your on-​call week arrives. You check the web site, and your heart sinks: you need to report to the Hall of Justice at either 8:30 or 1:30. Well, crap.
You bring a book, iPad, laptop, or something else to keep yourself entertained. This is an absolute must. You go through security, then up to the second floor to the jury check-​in area. You’ll wait in a long line that moves fairly quickly, so long as your form’s filled out. This is where you get your parking validated. You’ll be assigned to a panel and directed to the waiting area– there are two of them.
«Then the fun begins,» she says sarcastically.
You wait until your panel’s called. This can take anywhere from half an hour to a few hours. Sometimes, a case will reach a settlement, and you can go home/​back to work. Or, if you’re like me, you wait for an hour, then get sent to a courtroom with a whole bunch of other people.
The clerk will take roll call, so don’t think about sneaking away. You’ll be presented with the basics of the case: whether it’s criminal or civil, the nature of the charges, and how long it should take. Then the judge will hear why you can’t serve, if that applies to you.
Your experience may differ slightly, depending on the case. I was in a very large pool, and never got called to the jury box, but I was there for four days total. Not exactly fun, but it was definitely a learning experience. At the very least, it made for fantastic people watching.
BTW, about food: two espresso carts in the HOJ, a decent cafeteria in the Government Center basement, and Togo’s are the only real options around here.

Never judge a book by its cover. While the Santa Clara Hall of Justice looks impressive on the outside, the inside looks more like a run down Gray Hound Station.
Stains all over the hallway carpets, rickety torn seats with exposed padding in the galleries, and gang graffiti all over the restrooms. The only thing going for them is the Sheriff Staff who are helpful and professional. Terrible parking. Not recommended.

Jury duty sucks, wait, wait…

BORING.
But of course you already knew that.
I’m just here to tell you how to survive the imminent boredom and ridiculousness while on jury duty.
First off, if you’re driving there, park over at the Civic Center Parking right across from the Hall of Justice. And park on the 3^rd floor because that’s where you’ll need to go to insert your validation. Just take the walkway over to the HoJ and use the elevator to go down. Do NOT forget your parking pass because you’ll need them to validate it for you when you get inside (yup! free parking!).
When you get in, it’s gonna be like an airport security check — put your bag/​purse into the conveyor belt, take out your keys, coins, belts and junk and put them in the basket. Walk through the metal detector and cross your fingers you don’t make it beep and move along.
DO NOT be the guy who wears a piece of wire for a BELT. I KID YOU NOT. The guy in front of me held us up for 10 minutes just because he had all this EXCESSIVE metals on him. First it was keys, then coins, then iPod, then more coins, then… a THIN METAL WIRE strung through his belt loops to hold up his pants… Who. Does. That?
He. Does that.
No clue what is going on, but that’s just strange. Security just pulled him off to the side cause it was just getting ridiculous in here.
Anyways, your next step is to get into the elevator, ride up to the 2^nd floor and get in line to get checked in. While waiting, be nice and fill out your jury duty slip and sign it prior to getting to the desk. It just makes the line go faster for the rest of us, thanks.
And DON’T be the people who think that they’re somehow special enough to just walk up to the front desk and check in without getting in line. Some girls came in and were just rude to the receptionist after she told them to get in line like everyone else. We all need to get something done — it’s first come first served, people!
After you check in, the receptionist will give you a paper that has your panel number on it. Then you’ll be directed to a room where you will sit, listen to a LONG orientation over the PA system, and wait for your panel number to be called.
If you didn’t plan ahead and bring something to entertain yourself, they have jigsaw puzzles that you can put together with other people who are just as bored as you are. They’ve got lots of them so no need to fight.
You’ll be sitting there for a LOOONG time, so make yourself comfortable. I found myself a nice sofa to sit on and kick back with my iPad. Thankfully, they have INTERNET! So, I got a lot of work done and having apps to play with was a lifesaver. Lots of people came in with books too, so if you have a novel you’ve been meaning to read, this is the time to do it. I felt bad for people who had nothing to do and ended up nodding off in awkward positions. Maybe they should have some beds in here so people can nap or something.
I didn’t try out the coffee, but they do offer it. Some people didn’t look to happy with it so I opted not to get some.
You will feel a sense of sudden relief (I know I did) when your panel number finally gets called, and then they’ll tell you which room you have to go to meet the judge. They’ll brief you on the time period you’ll have to serve if you get chosen and if you have no issues with that, you’ll be excused to fill out a questionnaire and you can go home. If you do have an issue with it because it will cause you «undue hardship», then you will be asked to stay and do a brief interview with the judge to explain your situation.
That’s pretty much as far as I got. After my interview, the judge excused me and I was able to finally go home! I know performing your civic duty is important, but you can’t tell me that no one tries to get out of it. They’ll only pay you $ 15 a day + 34cents a mile you drive (ONE way), and that starts the 2^nd day that you serve. Being that you’ll need to come in 4 days a week (9−5pm) — that’s a lot of money lost you could be making to support your family /​school tuition. Can’t say it won’t leave a huge dent in your pocket cause I know it would to mine.
Well, as for the rest of you lucky chosen ones… Happy Juroring! :P

Usually when you have to come here it is not for any kind of pleasure at all. In this case, I had to come here for jury duty which was no biggie because it is my civic duty.
Anyways, I only gave it 2 stars because I have never had to wait around so long for something in my life. Very slow, they force you to be there all day and do not feed you, and spent way more time waiting around than actually in the court room. I understand that issues come up but this was ridiculous.
I did bump it up a star because luckily they do validate you for parking (Which I was quite surprised) and the people there are pretty nice. In the end, it was not a pleasant first jury duty experience… Ugh

For all my jury duty friends: wi-​fi, big leather chairs, complimentary coffee when you do your civic duty. The line to get in at 9am gets long, so bring a coat when it’s chilly!

I had to show up here for jury duty. Yes this place is old, yes this place is ruined down and yes this place is a public building, overall it is comfortable. You are here to preform a service, so do not except much, and yes they do have WiFi, which is great.
The judge that you get will be the one that will make your stay pleasurable, so enjoy your stay preform your duty and more on.

Jury, your civic duty… it was made bearable by the speedy WiFi and a few electric outlets in the waiting room. Seating is adequate, but still crowded… I think the county is doing the best with what they have to work with. So, I can’t really add much to what has already been said…

SANTA CLARA HALL OF JUSTICE
Very inefficient here. Slow, and most likely, you will get called back a second day for the jury duty selection process. At least there’s parking across the street, from which they validate your parking. Bad maintenance here: only one elevator works! Stay away from here, if possible, but do your civic duty if you get chosen as a juror.

One night, I had partied with some friends up in the city. I couldn’t even drive my own car home, due this allergic reaction I have to liquor. Luckily, I had a friend that could operate a stick-​shifted vehicle. I awoke when we arrived at his destination, and I got behind the wheel to drive myself home. I had to hurry, because I was extremely sleepy. I made the exit, but had to go pee real bad so I ran a red light. A block from my house, a police officer signaled for me to pull over.
The police officer was polite enough to inform me that I had broken a law. Running a red light is illegal in Santa Clara County, so he figured it would be in my best interest that he inform me of this.
To make sure I was fully aware of this, and that I was in proper working order, he allowed me to perform a couple stunts for him. Boy was he in for a show.
The first trick I did for him was walk in a straight line, heel to toe, for a few feet. It is almost exactly like walking a high-​wire. I was excited to do this because I had grown up watching Circus of the Stars on TV.
Another trick I did for him was count from 1 to 4 touching my thumb to my fingertips on one hand. I then proceeded to count from 4 to 1 in the other direction on the same hand!
The officer, pleased with my stunning performance, returned the favor. I was in awe of the skills he had performing a brief light show. It was just like the guys I used to see at the raves I went to back in my early college years!
To complete our little sidewalk party, he gave me a kazoo. It was an odd kazoo, though. It was one of the newer ones, with a digital readout. I suck at playing the kazoo, cause the only sound that came out was a beep.
It was getting, late though. It was dark and cold out. The officer showed me that he got me some nice jewelry! Matching silver bracelets. I couldn’t tell if they were from Tiffany or Kay’s, but they were absolutely darling.
Now, officers don’t tell you this, but they are actually very considerate and perform taxicab services. For FREE.
The officer knew I was sleepy, so he took me to a hotel nearby. He said that it would be a free stay, since I pay taxes. How cool is that?
The reception at the hotel was not as cool as earlier in the night. They kept some my stuff for me so I wouldn’t lose it. They have a photographer that takes your pics, too. I felt like I was walking the red carpet in Hollywood!
I met another officer and we did some finger painting. I made simple finger paintings because they only had black paint!
I was able to finally go to my room, but it turns out I had to share with others staying at the same hotel! It was so cold in there. One of the other vacationers was so angry at the shared room, he kept complaining loudly. They granted him his wish and they found him another room that was a little smaller, though. I made the most of my stay by sleeping laid out on the bench. I just used my jacket for a blanket.
I had to check out in the early morning, but there was no free taxi ride to my car. They tricked me with the free taxi service!
Don’t fall for the police officer’s sales pitch, they give you a free ride, but then send you a bill later! And no ride home. I am so not into buying timeshares. I hate the sales pitch.

For the most part you won’t want to find yourself here, but if you ever do… it could be worse.
So I have spent a lot of time in this place (no I’m not constantly in legal trouble, but I’m here for work). I have been on both the Misdemeanor side, the Felony side, and dealt with the clerk’s office.
Walking in: unless you are an attorney the lines can get SUPER long. I’ve seen them wrap around the block. So if you have a court time that you have to make, be sure to get there early. Attorney’s can just skip the line. Most of the deputies at the metal detector area are pretty nice, but some can be pretty short. But this is just to try and move you along as fast as possible.
The Felony side: Try to avoid this place. Not that there is anything wrong with this area, but if you have to be here… thats probably not great. A lot of the court rooms are kind of falling apart. There are scratches here and there that spell out words and other notes. Seats that are stained or just plain broken. The place is generally not well kept. The staff is all very helpful though.
The Misdemeanor side: If you have to be stuck on one side, this is a better side just because it means you’re in less trouble. But I’d still try and avoid it. The building on this side is a lot darker. Not much natural light. So it feels maybe a bit more ominous. Also the courtrooms are a bit worse for the ware here. Same general problems, just more of them. Once again, nice staff though.
The Clerks office: very nice staff. Will get your request done pretty quick. The lines can get long though.
So all in all, this is a good building. But unless you’re on jury duty I suggest you try to find things to do that won’t land you in here.

4 ½ stars. This review is only for their marriage licensing and civil ceremony services. The number of stars may change if I’m ever summoned for jury duty or get arrested. :)
My husband and I wanted to do a civil marriage ceremony mainly because we were on a budget and we’re not religious. I loved our day. I felt extremely calm and happy, and I know I wouldn’t have if we’d had the traditional big wedding.
It was just our close family there with our best friends as witnesses. No special vows, just the basic courthouse vows. Our judge really amazed us with a very short and simple, yet eloquent ceremony. We never imagined getting married at City Hall was going to feel like a million bucks!
The only criticism I have is the parking. It’s far away and not very abundant and cheap.