Here Come the Judges

Here Come the Judges. . During the early years of statehood, Sacramento became not only the State Capital, but also the seat of the State Supreme Court. The B.F. Hastings Building at 2nd and J Streets first served as the State’s highest court. The Gold Rush attracted a large population of young, exuberant, and colorful lawyers. No longer confined by the pressures of hometown opinions, the attorneys in California had the courage to look at many issues in a fresh way. Some, such as Judge Stephen Fields, went on to distinguished careers with the U.S. Supreme Court. Others, like Judge David S. Terry, displayed their colorful personalities and temperaments with brazen actions. Terry, who presided in his courtroom with a pistol and a large knife on his bench, dueled with and killed U.S. Senator David Broderick. Several of Sacramento’s judges, however, focused on improving the community through philanthropy and culture. One such judge was E.B. Crocker, and ardent abolitionist who defended many former slaves in California and who built what is now Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum.