Officials gathered on Aug. 5, 2026, to break ground on a new, $89.5 million permanent home for the California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District in Sunnyvale, according to justicedesignnews.com.
Attended by Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein, Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and other judicial leaders, the ceremony signals the start of a project that will replace the court's long-term leased space in downtown San Jose, justicedesignnews.com reported.
Situated at 605 W. El Camino Real, the 50,000-sq.-ft., two-story courthouse will sit on a 2-acre site that once housed a vacant Santa Clara County Superior Court branch.
“This is a landmark moment for local justice,” Klein said, according to justicedesignnews.com.
The current court in San Jose lacks dedicated public screening areas and secure, separated circulation paths for the public, staff, and justices. The new facility will also help resolve a lack of nearby parking.
A design-build contract was awarded to a partnership between Swinerton Builders and architectural firm Moore Ruble Yudell.
The targeted completion date is September 2028.
The new design focuses on sustainability, according to justicedesignnews.com. The facility is seeking LEED Silver certification; it will feature an all-electric infrastructure, onsite solar energy generation and electric vehicle charging stations. Drought-tolerant landscaping and high-performance building materials are other planned features.
The Sixth Appellate District hears more than 900 appeals and disposes of roughly 500 writ petitions annually, covering Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties.
