James A Ardaiz 6810

Retired Presiding Justice James A. Ardaiz was on the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District for 20 years and designed the courthouse. He wrote the three-strikes initiative that was adopted by voters in 1994 and is a practicing lawyer, prosecutor, judge, justice, law professor, writer, artist, and amateur architect. He designed the courthouse to be open and transparent to the public and to the institutional partners of the nine counties it serves. He wanted the courtroom to reflect the natural wonders of the Fifth District and for it to be a place where people felt they were in a special place.