Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, County criminal courthouse in the Civic Center, Los Angeles, California, US

The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center is the county criminal courthouse at 210 West Temple Street in Los Angeles's Civic Center, between Broadway and Spring Street. It stands on the flattened former Pound Cake Hill, the site of Los Angeles High School from 1873 to 1882 and of the Red Sandstone Courthouse from 1891 to 1936. The building also houses the main offices of the Los Angeles County Public Defender.

The courthouse occupies the flattened site of Pound Cake Hill, where Los Angeles High School stood from 1873 to 1882 and the Red Sandstone Courthouse from 1891 to 1936. It was originally called the Criminal Courts Building and was renamed in 2002 for Clara S. Foltz, the first female lawyer on the West Coast and the first person to propose a public defender's office.

The building takes its name from Clara Shortridge Foltz, a pioneering lawyer who fought to establish public defender offices on the West Coast. Her name reflects the role women played in shaping the American justice system.

The building is open weekdays and has security checkpoints that all visitors must pass through. Plan extra time for lines and bring a valid ID, especially if you plan to visit a courtroom.

High-profile trials are held on the ninth floor, which has its own secondary screening area beyond the ground-floor checkpoint. The eighth and tenth floors cannot be reached from the public elevators or stairwells, a layout visitors rarely notice.