It's an interesting question because I probably count about seven courthouses. However, some of the courthouses are located outside the San Fernando Valley but cover some of the valley's territory.

For example, Malibu used to be one of the courthouses covering some of the ground in the Valley, but it was later closed. What they've done—the powers in the San Fernando Valley—is divide the cases that relate to what used to be Malibu's jurisdiction between the Van Nuys Court and the LAX Court.

So, it's intriguing. You could find yourself in a criminal case on the outskirts of the San Fernando Valley, near Lost Hills Sheriff Station, for example, Agora, West Valley Circle, and end up having to navigate the complexities of the court system, potentially ending up at the Airport Court, the LAX Court if they've divided your particular area up with the Airport Court.

The other half of those cases go to another court in the Valley, specifically the Van Nuys Court. Van Nuys, in my opinion, handles most of the San Fernando Valley – the west end, the middle, and all the cities within the San Fernando Valley. So, if you're arrested for a crime, you will typically be taken to the Van Nuys court if the incident occurred in the San Fernando Valley.

San Fernando Courthouse

There are some exceptions. San Fernando pretty much covers the north end of the Valley, so if you get anything on the north end of the San Fernando Valley, you're typically going to go to the San Fernando courthouse.

This is where another courthouse comes into play: the Valencia courthouse. It's in Valencia, which is still inside LA County but not in the San Fernando Valley. However, because San Fernando is located in the Valley, felony cases arrested in Valencia are transferred to the San Fernando court.

I'm not sure if it's the neighborhood around there or what the issue is, but they don't like bringing the Sheriff Buses and custody into the Valencia court. So, even though cases are taking place in Valencia, they're being dealt with in the San Fernando courthouse. You might guess that the combination of the north end of the Valley business and the business from the Valencia system makes San Fernando a pretty busy court.

Burbank and Glendale Courthouse

Additionally, I would consider Burbank in the San Fernando Valley. Burbank Court has been there for a long time. I worked for a Superior Court Judge there in the early 1990s, so I am familiar with that system. They're a little incorporated city, but they're still part of Los Angeles County and the San Fernando Valley.

Also, in that neck of the woods, a courthouse in Glendale usually handles minor traffic-related offenses. You're unlikely to see them dealing with felonies. They will send those on to the other court in the Valley, the Pasadena courthouse.

Pasadena Courthouse

The Pasadena courthouse on the far end of the San Fernando Valley – the east end of the Valley – usually handles the most severe cases in the Burbank/Glendale and Pasadena areas. They're one of the immense power guys out there. Although it's an old building, the courthouse is a decent size. But they're very comparable in terms of the seriousness of their cases.

That's pretty much it for the Valley courthouses. Any other courthouse in the San Fernando Valley has been closed due to budget reasons. The big ones handling most of the business, in most cases, are San Fernando, Van Nuys, and even Pasadena.

It's interesting because Burbank and Glendale work well with Pasadena. Burbank will conduct preliminary hearings on felony cases in Burbank, and then, after the preliminary hearing, if any cases remain, they'll be sent to the Pasadena courthouse.

Years ago, I had a significant case in which they did the felony preliminary hearing, which I rarely see in Glendale. Then, after the prelim, the issue was shipped—and it was a murder case—to Pasadena. The defense filed a 995 motion to dismiss all the murder charges against each of the five defendants, and the Pasadena judge pretty much overruled the Glendale judge and dismissed the whole case.

So, you need to understand the system. You need to comprehend how the Valley works – what courts are strict, what courts are a little easier to deal with – and then it gets a little more complicated because you have to know which crimes.

Retain a Criminal Attorney

For example, San Fernando is very tough on drug offenses and weapon offenses. At the same time, Van Nuys will be more challenging, in my opinion, on sex offenses. They're very vicious in that area, and they have a whole sex department where they're looking to send people to prison and make them register for the rest of their lives as sex offenders.

So, depending on where you are and what type of case you have, you have to know the ins and outs of that court system and the players in that court system. The best source for that is your criminal defense attorney, who has a lot of experience in the particular courthouse where your case is pending. Their guidance can be invaluable in navigating the complexities of the court system.