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Last week, we concluded our look at the geographical sources of the California Supreme Court’s docket between 2000 and 2004 and addressed the civil docket between 2005 and 2009.  This week, we address the criminal and death penalty dockets during the years 2005 through 2009.

Los Angeles once again dominated the criminal docket, producing 24 cases in 2005, 11 in 2006, 19 in 2007, 21 in 2008 and 12 in 2009.  Orange County, the third most populous county in the state in 2010, was second in the criminal caseload during these years, producing 22 cases in five years.  Alameda County, the seventh biggest county, was the third most frequent home jurisdiction for the criminal docket between 2005 and 2009, producing four cases in 2005 and 2006 and five in 2007 and 2009.  Santa Clara, the sixth biggest county, was tied with Alameda, producing six cases in 2006, five in 2009, and a total of 18 for the entire five years.  The counties ranking second, fourth and eighth in population, San Diego, Riverside and Sacramento, were next, accounting for sixteen cases apiece.  San Diego accounted for seven cases in 2007 by itself, and a total of 16 for the entire period.  Sacramento and Riverside Counties topped out at sixteen in all too, with five for both Sacramento and Riverside in 2008, and five more for Riverside County in 2009.

One of the counties in the next spot was no surprise.  San Bernardino County is the fifth biggest county in the state, and accounted for eleven cases over the five-year period.  But Kern County – nowhere to be found on the list of most populous counties – accounted for eleven cases too, including four each in 2005 and 2006.  Fresno County, the ninth biggest county in the state in terms of population, accounted for nine cases, including three in 2009 alone.  San Mateo County and Contra Costa County (the ninth biggest county in terms of population) were next, with eight and seven criminal cases, respectively.  Ventura and San Joaquin Counties were next, producing four cases apiece for the criminal docket.

Table 39A

We turn next in Table 39B to the lesser counties on the criminal docket between 2005 and 2009.  Tulare County of central California produced seven cases in five years, including four in 2007 and two more in 2008.  Yolo and Monterey counties produced three cases each.  The remaining jurisdictions on the Court’s criminal docket produced no more than one or two cases apiece in five years’ time.

Table 39B

Join us back here tomorrow as we address the geographical sources of the death penalty docket between 2005 and 2009.  Next week, we’ll turn to the sources of the docket between 2010 and 2015.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Jan Arendtsz (no changes).