About Our Court: Mission Statement Our mission is to promote public trust and confidence in the judicial system by ensuring equal access to prompt, impartial justice and serving the community with integrity and respect. Merced County is located in the Central Valley of California, north of Fresno and southeast of San Jose. It is 1,978 square miles in size and has a population of over 255,793 people. We have 9 judicial officer and 2 commissioner positions and employ approximately 135 people to perform a wide range of functions including accounting, office and courtroom support, computer programming and system support, legal research, family mediation services, and administrative management.