Long Beach · South District
What happens at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse.
The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse on Magnolia Avenue is Long Beach's all-purpose courthouse: criminal, family, civil, probate and unlawful detainer under one roof. Almost everyone calls it 'the Long Beach courthouse', and the city's tenant rules and its own police department give the searches a distinctly local flavor.
Last updated: September 2026 · Confirm departments and hours on lacourt.org
What cases does the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse hear?
The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 275 Magnolia Avenue, Long Beach, hears misdemeanor and felony criminal for the south district, family law, civil and unlawful detainer for long beach, probate and conservatorships, small claims and traffic for the South District of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Clients from Long Beach appear here.
- Misdemeanor and felony criminal for the South District
- Family law (divorce, custody, support)
- Civil and unlawful detainer for Long Beach
- Probate and conservatorships
- Small claims and traffic
Address
275 Magnolia Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802
District
South District, Los Angeles Superior Court
Search languages
English, Spanish, Khmer
What happens at a first court date at Long Beach?
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.
Family law first hearing
Divorce, custody and support cases begin with a filed petition and a served response, not a hearing. The first time most clients see a courtroom is a Request for Order hearing on temporary custody, support or restraining orders, typically six to ten weeks after filing. Mediation with Family Court Services is ordered before contested custody hearings.
Unlawful detainer (eviction)
A tenant has five court days after service to answer an unlawful detainer complaint. Trials are set within about twenty days of the request. Most cases settle at the mandatory settlement conference on the morning of trial. Tenants in LA City and unincorporated county areas should check whether just-cause and relocation rules apply before answering.
Civil case management
Wage, retaliation and wrongful-termination suits follow the civil track: thirty days to respond, a case management conference three to five months after filing, and a single assigned judge for unlimited cases. Many employment claims start at the Labor Commissioner or the Civil Rights Department before any courthouse is involved.
Probate hearing
A petition to open probate is set for hearing roughly six to eight weeks after filing. Probate examiners review the file first and post notes; if every note is cleared, the petition may be approved without anyone speaking. Estates under the small-estate threshold usually avoid probate entirely with an affidavit.
Practical details for Long Beach
- Paid parking in the structure across Magnolia; the Downtown Long Beach Metro A Line station is a short walk.
- Criminal arraignments run in the morning; family and unlawful detainer calendars are on the upper floors.
- Long Beach has its own just-cause and relocation rules that apply in unlawful detainer cases here.
- Spanish and Khmer interpreters are regularly requested; ask when the hearing is set.
What clients ask AI about the Long Beach courthouse
These are the questions we see in citation audits for Long Beach 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 first court date at the Long Beach courthouse?”
- “How do I answer an eviction filed in Long Beach?”
- “Where do I file for divorce in Long Beach?”
- “Can my lawyer appear for me at a Long Beach misdemeanor arraignment?”
- “Is parking free at the Long Beach courthouse?”
Why a Long Beach 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 Long Beach page links to every practice page the firm has for Long Beach, and each of those links back. The courthouse page becomes the hub AI engines use to understand what the firm does and where.
FAQ
Long Beach courthouse: questions.
Nearly everything for the South District: criminal, family, civil, probate, unlawful detainer, small claims and traffic. It is one of the few LA County courthouses where a firm can serve every mid-tier practice area from one page.
Yes. Long Beach's just-cause and relocation-assistance rules apply alongside state law, and they change the defenses available. Check which rules apply before the five-day answer deadline runs.
For most misdemeanors, yes, under Penal Code section 977. Felonies and certain protective-order matters require personal appearance.
Because Long Beach clients search the courthouse with their question attached, and the cited answers today are county pages and national directories. A page that explains the first court date on Magnolia Avenue, for criminal, family or eviction, is a fast citation for a firm that already practices there.
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