USA Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Big wow!! I love history and illegal so i love this court too. This is the great place to visit. I came here with my teacher and classmates. The office lady who guide me is really nice. The library is wonderful.

One of the most gorgeous courthouses in the United States. I wish you could take photos inside of the stunning courtrooms. I have only been inside to argue a case and they ask you not to use your camera inside. But all three of the courtrooms are beaux-arts masterpieces.

For the past year going on 1618 plus the judge and the public defender have negated to the district attorney that I did not commit the crime I've been charged with if anything if it doesn't get dismissed maybe a slap on the wrist but I did not vandalize anything a year later 15 to 16 months later the attorney still won't decide what's left of charge to give my name is Benny St Louis on the way to court as we speak San Francisco division 11 9:00 a.m.

Very poor experience Clerk was rude and hung up on me; Beyond the legalities the court used no common sense in reaching its decision on my case

Magnificent!!! Very delighted and surprised to know this gorgeous court house's history! Plus, there is a public library inside for everyone. But before getting inside, people need to have a strict security check similar with airport.

I would like to express my extreme gratitude to Judges Richard R. Clifton, William Canby and Michelle T. Friedland for their ruling against the immigration ban, thus fulfilling IMHO, their oaths to be impartial and uphold the tenets of the constitution. As a young person skeptical about our government and politicians in general, you have shown me the checks and balances put in place 240 years ago by our forefathers to protect our oligarchy (yep, the electoral college has led to the demise of our democracy, but I digress) can still work. My parents taught me to accept and respect the president and other elected officials knowing these checks and balances will protect us from any fanaticism they may hold - be it left or right. Is that not what we must face together as a nation, regardless of our beliefs? Aren't supposed to stand for liberty and justice for all? I want to believe we can all come together to support this ideal in order to fight those who are tearing us apart.

Probably the most beautiful building interior I've been in. Impeccable Italian workmanship throughout. Completed in 1905 and pretty much survived the 1906 earthquake with only minor damage.

Get rid of the California peace officers bill of rights. It supports police abuse, need improvement on this matter.

If you love turn of the century architecture the Ninth Circuit tour is the one to take. They just recently reopened for tours to the public. I went with a group but there's a set schedule each month to drop by and look around. Tours are free, courtesy of you, the taxpayer Such a beautiful building full of history!

I worked three blocks away over the years and never realized this building with so much history was right under my nose. The James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse is a National Historic Landmark was opened in 1905 and is considered one of America's most beautiful public buildings with its Beaux-Arts Classical architecture. It served as the main post office and courthouse and even survived the 1906 earthquake with only fire damage to the Redwood Room, hence it reopened two days later. However, the 1989 earthquake caused serious damage and Congress authorized $91mil for the retrofitting and rehabilitation of the building. It reopened in 1997 with modern HVAC, electrical and plumbing, rendering it to the standards of a new building, which now houses the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A 70 minutes free docent led tour is offered twice a month on Tuesdays at 1pm during the Spring and Summer, otherwise once a month. See the website at: https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/content/view.php?pk_id=0000000141. As with all Federal facilities, you need an ID and pass through security. Upon entering, you see the grandeur of the bronze doors, white Carrara marble on floors and walls, verde marble insets, vaulted ceilings, with marble tiles crafted by craftsmen from Italy. The postal customer service windows have been left in place. A new library building was built in the postal sorting area, which is accessed on the first floor. The four courtrooms are on the second and third floors and each have their own distinctive designs and sizes of Art Deco, marble, artwork, mosaics, woodwork and skylights. The docent will lead a tour into each courtroom unless court is in session. The Redwood Room was rebuilt after 1906 earthquake fire is completely clad in ornately clad redwood and was used as a library. Open a door and you will see books in shelves. We also saw the office used by visiting Supreme Court Justices and the chambers of Chief Justice Sidney Thomas. Remember to stop by the Information Room by the entrance for info on Justice James Browning and the Court. Highly recommend visiting this historical courthouse and be transported to the past to see architecture, design, materials and craftsmanship that you won't see in your modern buildings.

Thought we might get in on some live history making District Court action in nearby San Francisco so yelped the courthouse and discovered they give docent tours of this great old historic building. Check out their website for times and it's free ( well your federal tax dollars pay for it). Also they have a great library that's free and open to the public. Worth a stop for a few hours and steps away from Civic Center BART. Highly recommended!

"Yawn. Another old building..." Stop that! Right now! If you've seen City Hall, and the Opera House, you may think you've seen the grandest San Francisco has to offer. You haven't. This building was considered a bit over the top even by the standards of its day, when it opened in 1905. In 1906 it slipped five feet to the south---a bit into the buried marsh at the south end of its site, and had to be fixed up some. But, like the old Mint at 5th and Mission, this is the only other building in the 1906 fire zone to survive mostly intact (everything else that remained standing, like the Flood Building, was gutted by the fire). Very dedicated federal employees stayed in the building and battled flames on the north end that would eventually consume the Redwood Room, with wet postal sacks. The Redwood Room was completely rebuilt as was. The District Courts moved to the Federal Building on Golden Gate in 1966, and this building was restored in the early 1990s after damage from Loma Prieta. At that time various doomed courthouses across the country were salvaged for their bronze fixtures and carved wood doors, and they were brought west to the 9th Circuit Court where they have had a new life adding to the opulence of the original. The heavily carved and richly ornamented ceilings are studded with incandescent light bulbs (as is Oakland City Hall, built ten years later) because back then incandescent bulbs were high tech and the whole idea of this building was to wow and impress visitors. One has to remember that SF was just finishing up on its own 25 year construction project at City Hall---begun in 1876---but that building mostly collapsed in 1906, and the world's largest hotel---the old Palace, was fatally damaged,and then gutted by the fire. Elegance abounded in 1905 San Francisco. And, when they added on to the building in 1933, George Kelham added to rather remarkably simple, yet still impressively grand Art Deco court rooms at the rear. Of course, it's funny to read the historical placards and find that, according to the Feds, the Spanish founded the Mission, the Presidio, and the Pueblo of Yerba Buena. Actually, it was Mexico that founded the Pueblo of Yerba Buena---around today's Portsmouth Square in what is now Chinatown. Oh well. Tours are on tuesdays only, twice a month, at 1pm. No reservations necessary and they are free. 60 minutes in length. Google the website for more information.

Hot mama, look at those murals and reliefs decorating the hallowed halls of the 9th Circuit courthouse. Did you know that "passing the bar" didn't use to mean suffering through a three day exam aimed at causing you to question the very meaning of your life, but rather a little gate in one of the courtrooms that you could only walk through if you sufficiently answered the questions posed by the judges on the bench? A 5 minute oral exam...ah, those were the days. Plus, check out the restored old school post office windows. While super lame on paper, I would definitely recommend taking a tour or just wandering around one afternoon.

Legal research- Absolutely beautiful in here. Any student of the law or anyone just interested in a structure that provides gleaming beauty and history should check it out. The law library literally is second to none, providing you're predominantly practicing in federal law; obviously since you're here in the Northern District, 9th Circuit. I have such a better appreciation not only because we are here to use it everyday, but because it further compliments us as frontrunners as far as making history. Everyone looks at the 9th Circuit for milestone cases stemming from jury trials, summary judgement, etc... Treat yourself one day to check it out, it's a public building, we all pay for it, so why not see where your dollars are going? And learn more about yourself and the great district and circuit you're in while you're at it.

Easily one of San Francisco's most beautiful and historic buildings. It's free and open to the public -- come in and take a tour of the gorgeous marble halls, and marvel at the history they contain.