U.S. federal district court in California
- New United States Courthouse
(Los Angeles)
- Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse
(Santa Ana)
- Riverside / San Bernardino
Appeals to | Ninth Circuit |
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Established | September 18, 1966 |
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Judges | 28 |
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Chief Judge | Philip S. Gutierrez |
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Officers of the court |
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U.S. Attorney | E. Martin Estrada |
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U.S. Marshal | David M. Singer |
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www.cacd.uscourts.gov |
The United States District Court for the Central District of California (in case citations, C.D. Cal.; commonly referred to as the CDCA or CACD) is a federal trial court that serves over 19 million people in Southern and Central California, making it the most populous federal judicial district.[1] The district was created on September 18, 1966. Cases from the Central District are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the United States government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit). Along with the Central District of Illinois, the court is the only district court referred to by the name "Central" – all other courts with similar geographical names instead use the term "Middle."
History
California was admitted to the union on September 9, 1850, and was divided into two federal trial court districts – Northern and Southern – by Act of Congress on September 28, 1850, 9 Stat. 521.[2] The boundary was at the 37th parallel.[3] The two districts were merged as the United States District Court for the District of California on July 27, 1866, by 14 Stat. 300.[2][3] On August 5, 1886, Congress re-created the Southern District by 24 Stat. 308,[3] while the northern half was renamed Northern District. The Eastern and Central Districts of California were created on March 18, 1966 from portions of the Northern and Southern Districts by 80 Stat. 75.[2]
Divisions
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California is divided into three divisions, with jurisdiction over seven counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.
The Eastern Division covers Riverside and San Bernardino Counties at the Riverside courthouse.
The Southern Division covers Orange County from the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana.
The Western Division covers Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. Cases are heard in two courthouses in downtown Los Angeles. All but two district judges are located in the new First Street Courthouse, whereas magistrate judges and two district judges maintain chambers in the Edward R. Roybal Courthouse.
United States attorney for the Central District of California
The United States attorney for the Central District of California represents the United States government in civil and criminal cases before the court. As of September 19, 2022[update], the United States attorney is E. Martin Estrada.[4]
Current judges
As of November 21, 2023[update]:
Vacancies and pending nominations
Former judges
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Succession of seats
| Seat 2 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Clarke | 1966–1970 | Lydick | 1971–1984 | Ideman | 1984–1998 | Feess | 1999–2014 | Birotte, Jr. | 2014–present | | Seat 3 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Stephens, Jr. | 1966–1979 | Kenyon | 1980–1995 | Wardlaw | 1995–1998 | Anderson | 2002–present | | | |
Seat 5 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Curtis, Jr. | 1966–1975 | Waters, Sr. | 1976–1986 | Lew | 1987–2006 | Wu | 2007–2023 | vacant | 2023–present | | Seat 6 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Crary | 1966–1975 | Takasugi | 1976–1996 | Moreno | 1998–2001 | Carney | 2003–present | | Seat 7 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Whelan | 1966–1978 | Pfaelzer | 1978–1997 | Manella | 1998–2006 | Nguyen | 2009–2012 | Olguin | 2013–present | | Seat 8 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Hill | 1966–1980 | Gadbois, Jr. | 1982–1996 | Morrow | 1998–2015 | Vera | 2023–present | | |
Seat 9 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Hauk | 1966–1982 | Hupp | 1984–1997 | Matz | 1998–2011 | Fitzgerald | 2012–present | | Seat 10 | Seat reassigned from Southern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Gray | 1966–1982 | Rymer | 1983–1989 | Bonner | 1989–1990 | Collins | 1994–2014 | Blumenfeld | 2020–present | | | Seat 12 | Seat established on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | Real | 1966–2018 | Garnett | 2022–present | | |
Seat 13 | Seat established on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 | H. Pregerson | 1967–1979 | C. Hall | 1981–1984 | Davies | 1986–1998 | Walter | 2002–present | | Seat 14 | Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 | Kelleher | 1970–1983 | Stotler | 1984–2009 | Staton | 2010–present | | Seat 15 | Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 | Byrne, Jr. | 1971–1998 | Phillips | 1999–2022 | Hsu | 2023–present | | Seat 16 | Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 | Lucas | 1971–1984 | Rea | 1984–1998 | Carter | 1998–present | | |
Seat 17 | Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 | Hatter, Jr. | 1979–2005 | Gutierrez | 2007–present | | Seat 18 | Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 | Keller | 1984–1999 | Klausner | 2002–present | | | Seat 20 | Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 | Wilson | 1985–present | | |
Seat 21 | Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 | Letts | 1985–2000 | Selna | 2003–2020 | Sykes | 2022–present | | | Seat 23 | Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 | Baird | 1992–2004 | Schiavelli | 2004–2008 | Gee | 2010–present | | | |
Seat 25 | Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 | Paez | 1994–2000 | Otero | 2003–2018 | Aenlle-Rocha | 2020–present | | Seat 26 | Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 | Timlin | 1994–2005 | Larson | 2006–2009 | Bernal | 2012–present | | Seat 27 | Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 | King | 1995–2017 | Scarsi | 2020–present | | Seat 28 | Seat established on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758 (temporary) | Fischer | 2003–present | | |
List of U.S. attorneys
- George J. Denis (1888–1889)[6]
- Aurelus H. Hutton (1889–1890)
- Matthew T. Allen (1892–1893)
- George J. Denis (1893–1897)
- Frank P. Flint (1897–1901)
- Louis H. Valentine (1901–1905)
- Oscar Lawler (1905–1909)
- Albert Schoonover (1913–1917)
- J. Robert O’Conner (1917–1921)
- Joseph C. Burke (1921–1925)
- Samuel W. McNabb (1925–1933)
- John Rose Laying (1933)
- Peirson M. Hall (1933–1937)
- Ben Harrison (1937–1940)
- William Fleet Palmer (1940–1942)
- Leo V. Silverstein (1942–943)
- Charles H. Carr (1943–1946)
- James M. Carter (1946–1949)
- Ernest A. Tolin (1949–1951)
- Walter Binns (1951–1953)
- Laughlin Edward Waters Sr. (1953–1961)
- Francis C. Whelan (1961–1964)
- Thomas R. Sheridan (1962–1964)
- Manuel L. Real (1964–1966)[7]
- John K. Van de Kamp (1966–1967)
- William Matthew Byrne Jr. (1967–1970)
- Robert L. Meyer (1970–1972)
- William D. Keller (1972–1977)
- Robert L. Brosio (1977) (Acting)
- Andrea S. Ordin (1977–1981)
- Alexander H. Williams, III (1981) (Acting)
- Stephen S. Trott (1981–1983)
- Alexander H. Williams, III (1983–1984)
- Robert C. Bonner (1984–1989)
- Gary Allen Feess (1989)
- Robert L. Brosio (1989–1990)
- Lourdes Baird (1990–1992)
- Terree Bowers (1992–1994)
- Nora Margaret Manella (1994–1998)
- Alejandro Mayorkas (1998–2001)
- John S. Gordon (2001–2002)
- Debra Wong Yang (2002–2006)
- George S. Cardona (2006–2007)
- Thomas P. O'Brien (2007–2009)
- George S. Cardona (2009–2010) (Acting)
- André Birotte Jr. (2010–2014)
- Stephanie Yonekura (2014–2015) (Acting)
- Eileen M. Decker (2015–2017)
- Sandra R. Brown (2017–2018) (Acting)
- Nicola T. Hanna (2018–2021)
- Tracy L. Wilkison (2021–2022) (Acting)
- E. Martin Estrada (2022–present)
See also
References
- ^ "Central District of California | Our District". www.justice.gov. June 22, 2015.
- ^ a b c "U.S. District Courts for the Districts of California: Legislative History".
- ^ a b c Willoughby Rodman, History of the Bench and Bar of Southern California (1909), p. 46.
- ^ "Martin Estrada Sworn in as United States Attorney, Becoming Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer in Nation's Most Populous District". United States Department of Justice. September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Future Judicial Vacancies | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov.
- ^ "Former United States Attorneys". November 4, 2015.
- ^ In 1966, the Central District of California was created from portions of the Southern District of California.
External links
- United States District Court, Central District of California
- United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California
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