Foltz Criminal Justice Center · Central District
What happens at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, usually just 'the CJC' or 'Foltz', is where felony cases from Central Los Angeles are arraigned and tried. The first thing a family does after an arrest Downtown is search the building's name, and the answers they get come from bail-bond sites and the court, not from defense firms.
Last updated: September 2026 · Confirm departments and hours on lacourt.org
What cases does the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center hear?
The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center at 210 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, hears felony arraignments and preliminary hearings, felony trials for central los angeles, bail and own-recognizance release hearings, probation violation hearings for the Central District of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Clients from Downtown LA appear here.
- Felony arraignments and preliminary hearings
- Felony trials for Central Los Angeles
- Bail and own-recognizance release hearings
- Probation violation hearings
Address
210 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
District
Central District, Los Angeles Superior Court
Search languages
English, Spanish, Korean
What happens at a first court date at Foltz Criminal Justice Center?
It depends on the kind of case. These are the first appearances clients at this courthouse ask about most, in plain terms.
Criminal arraignment
The first hearing after an arrest or citation. The judge reads the charges, the defendant enters a plea, and the court sets bail or release conditions and the next date. Retained counsel can often appear for a misdemeanor without the client present; felonies require the client in the courtroom. Check-in is at the department listed on the citation or bail paperwork, usually by 8:30 a.m.
Practical details for Foltz Criminal Justice Center
- Arraignment courts (Departments 30 and 31 historically) run high-volume morning calendars; check the department on the booking paperwork.
- In-custody defendants are brought from the Men's Central Jail and Twin Towers next door; families should expect to wait for the afternoon calendar.
- Paid parking in county lots on Temple and Broadway; the Civic Center Metro station is two blocks away.
- Interpreters for Spanish are staffed daily; other languages are scheduled, so ask counsel to request one at arraignment.
What clients ask AI about the Foltz Criminal Justice Center courthouse
These are the questions we see in citation audits for Downtown LA firms. Today the cited answers come from the court's own pages, bail-bond sites and national directories. A local firm that answers them plainly, with FAQ schema, becomes the source.
- “What happens at a felony arraignment at the CJC?”
- “How do I find out when my son is being arraigned in Downtown LA?”
- “Can bail be reduced at the first hearing?”
- “What is a preliminary hearing at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center?”
- “Do I need a lawyer before the arraignment?”
Why a Foltz Criminal Justice Center courthouse page gets a firm cited
Clients search by the building, not the practice area
Nobody types "criminal defense attorney" the night before a hearing. They type the courthouse name and their question. A page that answers it is the first one an AI engine can cite for that firm.
The competition is the court itself
Court self-help pages are accurate but generic and never say what to do next. A firm page that adds the practical layer, and says which side it represents, wins the citation and the call.
It compounds across practice areas
One Foltz Criminal Justice Center page links to every practice page the firm has for Downtown LA, and each of those links back. The courthouse page becomes the hub AI engines use to understand what the firm does and where.
FAQ
Foltz Criminal Justice Center courthouse: questions.
The judge reads the charges, the defendant enters a plea, and bail or release conditions are set. Counsel can argue for a bail reduction or release on own recognizance at that hearing. A preliminary hearing is then set within ten court days unless the defendant waives time.
Arraignment usually happens within 48 hours of booking, excluding weekends and holidays. The Sheriff's inmate locator shows the court date and department once the case is filed; a retained attorney can often confirm it sooner.
Not for felonies at the CJC. For misdemeanors, which are heard at other locations, an attorney can generally appear on the client's behalf under Penal Code section 977.
Because 'what happens at arraignment at 210 Temple' is asked hundreds of times a month by families who have never hired a lawyer. Today AI engines answer with bail-bond marketing. A clear procedural page from a defense firm gets cited and gets the call.
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