Which courthouses are toughest for DUI in Los Angeles County

What to expect

Each courthouse in Los Angeles County has its own personality which means there are differences that can affect your DUI case.

Who will prosecute your case?

Los Angeles City Attorneys and  Los Angeles County District Attorneys are elected officials who serve as the city government’s lawyer and as a criminal prosecutors.

Los Angeles City Attorneys

For the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Attorneys handle your DUI if you are arrested within city limits.

So you will have a Los Angeles City Attorney handling your case if your case is in:

  • Division 60 1945 S Hill Street, Los Angeles, California (see toughest courthouses below)
  • Division 103 14400 Erwin St Mall, Van Nuys Courthouse, California (see toughest courthouses below)
  • Division 140 or Division 141 of the Airport Courthouse on La Cienega, Chatsworth (see toughest courthouses below)
  • Hollywood Courthouse
  • San Pedro Courthouse

Los Angeles City Attorneys:-

  • Only handle misdemeanor DUI cases.
  • Tend to be tougher on DUI cases with aggravating circumstances and will usually seek jail time.
  • Are usually more reasonable than Los Angeles County District Attorneys in reducing or dismissing the DUI charges if your BAC is around .08

Los Angeles County District Attorney

If your DUI case is in one of the courthouses below you will have a Los Angeles County District Attorney handling your case. District Attorneys (DAs) handle cases that are in the County jurisdiction.

District Attorneys:-

  • Handle both felony and misdemeanor DUI cases
  • Are usually nicer than City Attorneys in cases involving aggravating circumstances
  • They don’t seek as much jail time as City Attorneys do
  • Are usually tougher than City Attorneys when your BAC is around .08 in reducing or dismissing your DUI charges.

You will most likely have a Los Angeles County District Attorney handling your DUI case if your DUI case is in:

AlhambraLos Cerritos (Bellflower)
Beverly HillsMalibu
Citrus (West Covina)Newhall (Santa Clarita Courthouse) – see toughest courthouses below
ComptonPomona
East Los AngelesRio Hondo (El Monte)
GlendaleSanta Anita
Huntington ParkSouthGate
InglewoodTorrance
Lancaster (Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse) – see toughest courthouses belowWhittier

 

City Prosecutors

If you were arrested for DUI in :

  • Pasadena
  • Redondo Beach
  • Hermosa Beach
  • Manhattan Beach
  • Santa Monica
  • Hawthorne
  • or Inglewood

– then you might have one of these cities’ city prosecutors handling your DUI case. These City Prosecutors are different from Los Angeles City Attorneys and Los Angeles County District Attorneys and they are much more reasonable.

Toughest Courthouses in Los Angeles for DUI

The following courthouses are the worst courts to be in if you have aggravating circumstances because they are not shy in seeking jail time :

  • Division 60 1945 Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA
  • Division 103 14400 Erwin St Mall, Van Nuys, CA
  • Division 140 and Division 141 at the Airport Courthouse on La Cienega

Lancaster (Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse) is a tough court and so is Newhall (Santa Clarita Courthouse).

We can get your DUI charges dropped in Hill Street or Van Nuys Court

If your DUI Breath Results were .07 or .08 and your case is in Division 60, 1945 S. Hill Street,
Or if your DUI Breath Results were .07 or .08 and your case is in Division 103 of the Van Nuys Court

– then call our office immediately (310) 285-1516 because we have an excellent track record of getting the DUI charges dropped in these cases with these breath results.

Court Locations

See www.lacourt.org/courthouse for locations of courthouses in Los Angeles County.