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Welcome to the website for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Our office serves a district of seven counties, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura, with a population that is the largest of any district in the country. We seek to understand and serve the needs of these residents, and the many diverse communities in which they live. To accomplish this, we have added content to this website to try and improve our ability to interact with you, our clients.
The lawyers in our Office enforce the laws and defend the interests of the United States.
The National Security Division is the first-of-its-kind in the nation for a United States Attorney’s Office and is responsible for combatting national security and cyber security threats facing our region and our nation. Protecting national security is the highest priority of the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office.
Our Civil Division works to ensure the civil rights of all Americans, enforcing the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Voting Rights Act, among other federal civil rights laws. In addition, we use the powerful tool of civil litigation, seeking monetary damages and civil penalties, to address a wide range of illegal conduct, including mortgage fraud, efforts to defraud the Medicare system, defense procurement fraud, Food and Drug violations, and environmental torts.
Our Tax Division engages in both civil and criminal litigation to combat a variety of tax frauds, including phony tax shelters, return preparer frauds, and tax protester schemes.
Our Criminal Division also remains vigilant to other threats to public safety in the District. We continue our efforts to disrupt and dismantle violent criminal street gangs, major drug trafficking organizations, and drug cartels that are responsible for supplying much of the illegal narcotics distributed in the Central District and for the violent crime that accompanies this narcotics trafficking. We continue our battle against predators who use computers and the Internet to exploit and harm others. Whether that exploitation is by way of identity theft and fraud or the manufacturing and distribution of child pornography, we work to ensure that wrongdoers are apprehended and appropriately punished, while the victims are provided the assistance they need. We pursue those who commit financial crimes, investigating and prosecuting those who, whether from the boardroom or an anonymous internet site, seek to use the avenues of commerce to steal from communities and individuals by way of mortgage, investor, or securities frauds. And we maintain our heightened focus on investigating and prosecuting health care frauds, environmental crimes, and public corruption offenses across the District.
As we bring to bear the serious penalties our criminal justice system can impose on offenders, we also recognize that we must do more than prosecute criminals. We have learned that arrests and prosecutions alone cannot solve all of the crime problems in the District. Accordingly, our office also engages in prevention efforts both to help change the toxic environments that produce criminals and to provide individuals with tools to avoid becoming victims of those who would criminally prey on them.
All four of our Office's divisions, National Security, Criminal, Civil, and Tax, look forward to continued service in the best interests of the District.
(C.D. Cal.) |
Divisions of the Central District of California : Eastern (yellow), Southern (red), and Western (blue) |
Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Los Angeles) More locations
|
Ninth Circuit |
September 18, 1966 |
28 |
Philip S. Gutierrez |
E. Martin Estrada |
David M. Singer |
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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, the United States attorney is E. Martin Estrada.[4]
Current judges[edit]
As of June 24, 2022:
72 | Chief Judge | Philip S. Gutierrez | Los Angeles | 1959 | 2007–present | 2020–present | — | G.W. Bush |
37 | District Judge | Stephen Victor Wilson | Los Angeles | 1941 | 1985–present | — | — | Reagan |
56 | District Judge | David O. Carter | Santa Ana | 1944 | 1998–present | — | — | Clinton |
61 | District Judge | Percy Anderson | Los Angeles | 1948 | 2002–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
62 | District Judge | John F. Walter | Los Angeles | 1944 | 2002–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
63 | District Judge | R. Gary Klausner | Los Angeles | 1941 | 2002–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
66 | District Judge | Cormac J. Carney | Santa Ana | 1959 | 2003–present | 2020 | — | G.W. Bush |
67 | District Judge | Dale S. Fischer | Los Angeles | 1951 | 2003–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
73 | District Judge | Otis D. Wright II | Los Angeles | 1944 | 2007–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
74 | District Judge | George H. Wu | Los Angeles | 1950 | 2007–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
76 | District Judge | Dolly Gee | Los Angeles | 1959 | 2010–present | — | — | Obama |
77 | District Judge | Josephine Staton | Los Angeles | 1961 | 2010–present | — | — | Obama |
79 | District Judge | Michael W. Fitzgerald | Los Angeles | 1959 | 2012–present | — | — | Obama |
80 | District Judge | Jesus Bernal | Riverside | 1963 | 2012–present | — | — | Obama |
81 | District Judge | Fernando M. Olguin | Los Angeles | 1961 | 2013–present | — | — | Obama |
83 | District Judge | André Birotte Jr. | Los Angeles | 1966 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
84 | District Judge | Stanley Blumenfeld | Los Angeles | 1962 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
85 | District Judge | John W. Holcomb | Santa Ana | 1963 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
86 | District Judge | Mark C. Scarsi | Los Angeles | 1964 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
87 | District Judge | Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha | Los Angeles | 1961 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
88 | District Judge | Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong | Los Angeles | 1976 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
89 | District Judge | Fred W. Slaughter | Santa Ana | 1973 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
90 | District Judge | Sunshine Sykes | Riverside | 1974 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
91 | District Judge | Sherilyn Peace Garnett | Los Angeles | 1969 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
92 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
93 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
94 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
95 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
23 | Senior Judge | Terry J. Hatter Jr. | Los Angeles | 1933 | 1979–2005 | 1998–2001 | 2005–present | Carter |
26 | Senior Judge | Consuelo Bland Marshall | Los Angeles | 1936 | 1980–2005 | 2001–2005 | 2005–present | Carter |
35 | Senior Judge | William Duffy Keller | Los Angeles | 1934 | 1984–1999 | — | 1999–present | Reagan |
41 | Senior Judge | Ronald S. W. Lew | Los Angeles | 1941 | 1987–2006 | — | 2006–present | Reagan |
51 | Senior Judge | Dean Pregerson | Los Angeles | 1951 | 1996–2016 | — | 2016–present | Clinton |
52 | Senior Judge | Christina A. Snyder | Los Angeles | 1947 | 1997–2016 | — | 2016–present | Clinton |
60 | Senior Judge | Virginia A. Phillips | Los Angeles | 1957 | 1999–2022 | 2016–2020 | 2022–present | Clinton |
65 | Senior Judge | James V. Selna | Santa Ana | 1945 | 2003–2020 | — | 2020–present | G.W. Bush |
71 | Senior Judge | Valerie Baker Fairbank | Los Angeles | 1949 | 2007–2012 | — | 2012–present | G.W. Bush |
78 | Senior Judge | John Kronstadt | Los Angeles | 1951 | 2011–2022 | — | 2022–present | Obama |
Vacancies and pending nominations[edit]
8 | Los Angeles | Margaret M. Morrow | Senior status | October 29, 2015 | Hernán D. Vera | September 20, 2021 |
4 | Beverly Reid O'Connell | Death | October 8, 2017 | Kenly Kiya Kato | December 15, 2021 | |
15 | Virginia A. Phillips | Senior status | February 14, 2022 | – | – | |
24 | John Kronstadt | April 1, 2022 | – | – |
Former judges[edit]
— | Leon Rene Yankwich | CA | 1888–1975 | — | — | 1966–1975[Note 1] | F. Roosevelt/Operation of law | death |
— | William Matthew Byrne Sr. | CA | 1896–1974 | — | — | 1966–1974[Note 1] | Truman/Operation of law | death |
1 | Peirson Mitchell Hall | CA | 1894–1979 | 1966–1968[Note 1] | — | 1968–1979 | F. Roosevelt/Operation of law | death |
2 | Thurmond Clarke | CA | 1902–1971 | 1966–1970[Note 1] | 1966–1970 | 1970–1971 | Eisenhower/Operation of law | death |
3 | Albert Lee Stephens Jr. | CA | 1913–2001 | 1966–1979[Note 1] | 1970–1979 | 1979–2001 | Kennedy/Operation of law | death |
4 | Charles Hardy Carr | CA | 1903–1976 | 1966–1973[Note 1] | — | 1973–1976 | Kennedy/Operation of law | death |
5 | Jesse William Curtis Jr. | CA | 1905–2008 | 1966–1975[Note 1] | — | 1975–1990 | Kennedy/Operation of law | retirement |
6 | Elisha Avery Crary | CA | 1905–1978 | 1966–1975[Note 1] | — | 1975–1978 | Kennedy/Operation of law | death |
7 | Francis C. Whelan | CA | 1907–1991 | 1966–1978[Note 1] | — | 1978–1991 | L. Johnson/Operation of law | death |
8 | Irving Hill | CA | 1915–1998 | 1966–1980[Note 1] | 1979–1980 | 1980–1998 | L. Johnson/Operation of law | death |
9 | A. Andrew Hauk | CA | 1912–2004 | 1966–1982[Note 1] | 1980–1982 | 1982–2004 | L. Johnson/Operation of law | death |
10 | William Percival Gray | CA | 1912–1992 | 1966–1982[Note 1] | — | 1982–1992 | L. Johnson/Operation of law | death |
11 | Warren J. Ferguson | CA | 1920–2008 | 1966–1979 | — | — | L. Johnson | elevation to 9th Cir. |
12 | Manuel Real | CA | 1924–2019 | 1966–2018 | 1982–1993 | 2018–2019 | L. Johnson | death |
13 | Harry Pregerson | CA | 1923–2017 | 1967–1979 | — | — | L. Johnson | elevation to 9th Cir. |
14 | David W. Williams | CA | 1910–2000 | 1969–1981 | — | 1981–2000 | Nixon | death |
15 | Robert J. Kelleher | CA | 1913–2012 | 1970–1983 | — | 1983–2012 | Nixon | death |
16 | William Matthew Byrne Jr. | CA | 1930–2006 | 1971–1998 | 1994–1998 | 1998–2006 | Nixon | death |
17 | Malcolm Lucas | CA | 1927–2016 | 1971–1984 | — | — | Nixon | resignation |
18 | Lawrence Tupper Lydick | CA | 1916–1995 | 1971–1984 | — | 1984–1995 | Nixon | death |
19 | Robert Firth | CA | 1918–1984 | 1974–1979 | — | 1979–1984 | Nixon | death |
20 | Robert Mitsuhiro Takasugi | CA | 1930–2009 | 1976–1996 | — | 1996–2009 | Ford | death |
21 | Laughlin Edward Waters Sr. | CA | 1914–2002 | 1976–1986 | — | 1986–2002 | Ford | death |
22 | Mariana Pfaelzer | CA | 1926–2015 | 1978–1997 | — | 1997–2015 | Carter | death |
24 | A. Wallace Tashima | CA | 1934–present | 1980–1996 | — | — | Carter | elevation to 9th Cir. |
25 | David Vreeland Kenyon | CA | 1930–2015 | 1980–1995 | — | 1995–1997 | Carter | retirement |
27 | Cynthia Holcomb Hall | CA | 1929–2011 | 1981–1984 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 9th Cir. |
28 | Richard Arthur Gadbois Jr. | CA | 1932–1996 | 1982–1996 | — | 1996–1996 | Reagan | death |
29 | Edward Rafeedie | CA | 1929–2008 | 1982–1996 | — | 1996–2008 | Reagan | death |
30 | Pamela Ann Rymer | CA | 1941–2011 | 1983–1989 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 9th Cir. |
31 | Harry Lindley Hupp | CA | 1929–2004 | 1984–1997 | — | 1997–2004 | Reagan | death |
32 | Alicemarie Huber Stotler | CA | 1942–2014 | 1984–2009 | 2005–2009 | 2009–2014 | Reagan | death |
33 | James M. Ideman | CA | 1931–present | 1984–1998 | — | 1998 | Reagan | retirement |
34 | William J. Rea | CA | 1920–2005 | 1984–1998 | — | 1998–2005 | Reagan | death |
36 | Ferdinand Fernandez | CA | 1937–present | 1985–1989 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 9th Cir. |
38 | John Spencer Letts | CA | 1934–2014 | 1985–2000 | — | 2000–2014 | Reagan | death |
39 | Dickran Tevrizian | CA | 1940–present | 1985–2005 | — | 2005–2007 | Reagan | retirement |
40 | John Davies | CA | 1929–2020 | 1986–1998 | — | — | Reagan | retirement |
42 | Robert C. Bonner | CA | 1942–present | 1989–1990 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | resignation |
43 | Gary L. Taylor | CA | 1938–present | 1990–2004 | — | 2004–2005 | G.H.W. Bush | retirement |
44 | Lourdes Baird | CA | 1935–present | 1992–2004 | — | 2004–2005 | G.H.W. Bush | retirement |
45 | Linda Hodge McLaughlin | CA | 1942–1999 | 1992–1999 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | death |
46 | Audrey B. Collins | CA | 1945–present | 1994–2014 | 2009–2012 | — | Clinton | retirement |
47 | Richard Paez | CA | 1947–present | 1994–2000 | — | — | Clinton | elevation to 9th Cir. |
48 | Robert Timlin | CA | 1932–2017 | 1994–2005 | — | 2005–2017 | Clinton | death |
49 | George H. King | CA | 1951–present | 1995–2017 | 2012–2016 | — | Clinton | retirement |
50 | Kim McLane Wardlaw | CA | 1954–present | 1995–1998 | — | — | Clinton | elevation to 9th Cir. |
53 | Carlos R. Moreno | CA | 1948–present | 1998–2001 | — | — | Clinton | resignation |
54 | Margaret M. Morrow | CA | 1950–present | 1998–2015 | — | 2015–2016 | Clinton | retirement |
55 | Howard Matz | CA | 1943–present | 1998–2011 | — | 2011–2013 | Clinton | retirement |
57 | Nora Margaret Manella | CA | 1951–present | 1998–2006 | — | — | Clinton | resignation |
58 | Gary Allen Feess | CA | 1948–present | 1999–2014 | — | 2014–2015 | Clinton | retirement |
59 | Florence-Marie Cooper | CA | 1940–2010 | 1999–2010 | — | — | Clinton | death |
64 | S. James Otero | CA | 1951–present | 2003–2018 | — | 2018–2020 | G.W. Bush | retirement |
68 | George P. Schiavelli | CA | 1948–2019 | 2004–2008 | — | — | G.W. Bush | resignation |
69 | Stephen G. Larson | CA | 1964–present | 2006–2009 | — | — | G.W. Bush | resignation |
70 | Andrew J. Guilford | CA | 1950–present | 2006–2019 | — | 2019–2020 | G.W. Bush | retirement |
75 | Jacqueline Nguyen | CA | 1965–present | 2009–2012 | — | — | Obama | elevation to 9th Cir. |
82 | Beverly Reid O'Connell | CA | 1965–2017 | 2013–2017 | — | — | Obama | death |
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Reassigned from the Southern District of California.
Chief judges[edit]
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[edit]
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List of U.S. Attorneys[edit]
- George J. Denis (1888–1889)[5]
- 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)[6]
- 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)
See also[edit]
- Courts of California
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in California
References[edit]
- ^ Our District – USAO-CDCA
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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[edit]
- United States District Court, Central District of California
- United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California
Where is the United States district court Central District of California?
United States District Court for the Central District of California | |
Location | Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Los Angeles) More locations Los Angeles Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse (Santa Ana) Riverside / San Bernardino |
Appeals to | Ninth Circuit |
Established | September 18, 1966 |
Judges | 28 |