Welcome
The Northern District of California stretches from Del Norte County in the north to Monterey County in the south. The District contains three major metropolitan areas in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose; an expanse of suburban and rural area; and more than 300 public companies centered on Silicon Valley. Nearly 9 million people live, work, and raise their families in the Northern District of California.
In an effort to help protect
these individuals, the United States Attorney's Office prosecutes violations of federal law and represents the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District. The attorneys who work in the office prosecute criminal violations, civil lawsuits against the government, and litigate actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
(N.D. Cal.)
|
|
LocationPhillip Burton Federal Building (San Francisco) More locations - Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building
(Oakland) - San Jose
- Eureka / McKinleyville
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Appeals toNinth Circuit
|
EstablishedAugust 5, 1886
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Judges14
|
Chief JudgeRichard Seeborg
|
Officers of the court
U.S. AttorneyStephanie Hinds (acting)
|
U.S. MarshalDonald M. O'Keefe
|
www.cand.uscourts.gov
|
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa,
Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake,
Marin, Mendocino, Monterey,
Napa, San Benito, San Francisco,
San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and
Sonoma. The court hears cases in its courtrooms in Eureka, Oakland,
San Francisco, and San Jose. It is headquartered in San Francisco.
Cases from the Northern District of California are appealed to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are
appealed to the Federal Circuit).
Because it covers San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the Northern District of California has become known as the presumptive destination for major federal lawsuits (such as large
class actions and multi-district litigation) involving defendants based in East Asia and the high tech sector. [1]
These cases usually involve patent law and intellectual property law (such as copyright law and DMCA issues as well
as trademark law and trade secret law) - especially in the semiconductor, telecommunications and software industries and other high technology areas, antitrust law, securities law, and technology law in general
(e.g., cybersecurity, Internet law, computer law and cases involving software).
History[edit]
California was admitted as a state on September 9, 1850, and was initially divided into two districts, the Northern and the
Southern, by Act of Congress approved September 28, 1850, 9 Stat. 521.[2] The boundary line was at the 37th
parallel of North Latitude.[3] The creating act provided that:
In addition to the ordinary jurisdiction and powers of a District Court of the United States, with which the
Southern District Court of New York has been invested, the said Courts be and hereby are invested respectively within the limits of its district with the exercise of concurrent jurisdiction and power in all civil cases now exercised by the Circuit Courts of the United States; and that in all cases
where said Courts shall exercise such jurisdiction, appeals may be taken from the judgments, orders or decrees of said Courts to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The Act of August 31, 1852 made the Judge of the Northern District be Judge of the Southern District as well until otherwise provided, by 10 Stat. 76,
84,[2] effectively creating a single District in all but name until an Act of January 18, 1854 provided for the appointment of a Judge for the Southern
District.[3] The Southern District of California was abolished and the State made to constitute a single district – the United States
District Court for the District of California – by Act of Congress approved July 27, 1866, 14 Stat. 300.[2][3]
Twenty years
later, on August 5, 1886, Congress re-created the Southern District of California by 24 Stat. 308.[3] Erskine M. Ross was appointed Judge of the new district and served until his promotion to the Circuit Judgeship,
when he was succeeded by Olin Wellborn.[3] On March 18, 1966, the
Eastern and Central Districts were created from portions of the Northern and Southern
Districts by 80 Stat. 75.[2]
Current
judges[edit]
As of August 5, 2022:
# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active ChiefSenior
59
| Chief Judge
| Richard Seeborg
| San Francisco
| 1956
| 2010–present
| 2021–present
| —
| Obama
|
61
| District Judge
| Edward Davila
| San Jose
| 1952
| 2011–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
63
| District Judge
| Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers
| Oakland
| 1965
| 2011–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
64
| District Judge
| Jon S. Tigar
| Oakland
| 1962
| 2013–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
65
| District Judge
| William Orrick III
| San Francisco
| 1953
| 2013–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
66
| District Judge
| James Donato
| San Francisco
| 1960
| 2014–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
67
| District Judge
| Beth Labson Freeman
| San Jose
| 1953
| 2014–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
68
| District Judge
| Vince Chhabria
| San Francisco
| 1969
| 2014–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
69
| District Judge
| Haywood Gilliam
| Oakland
| 1969
| 2014–present
| —
| —
| Obama
|
70
| District Judge
| Jacqueline Scott Corley
| San Francisco
| 1966
| 2022–present
| —
| —
| Biden
|
71
| District Judge
| Trina Thompson
| San Francisco
| 1961
| 2022–present
| —
| —
| Biden
|
72
| District Judge
| vacant
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
73
| District Judge
| vacant
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
74
| District Judge
| vacant
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
38
| Senior Judge
| Thelton Henderson
| inactive
| 1933
| 1980–1998
| 1990–1997
| 1998–present
| Carter
|
47
| Senior Judge
| Saundra Brown Armstrong
| Oakland
| 1947
| 1991–2012
| —
| 2012–present
| G.H.W. Bush
|
49
| Senior Judge
| Ronald Whyte
| inactive
| 1942
| 1992–2009
| —
| 2009–present
| G.H.W. Bush
|
50
| Senior Judge
| Claudia Ann Wilken
| Oakland
| 1949
| 1993–2014
| 2012–2014
| 2014–present
| Clinton
|
51
| Senior Judge
| Maxine M. Chesney
| San Francisco
| 1942
| 1995–2009
| —
| 2009–present
| Clinton
|
52
| Senior Judge
| Susan Illston
| San Francisco
| 1948
| 1995–2013
| —
| 2013–present
| Clinton
|
53
| Senior Judge
| Charles R. Breyer
| San Francisco
| 1941
| 1997–2011
| —
| 2011–present
| Clinton
|
56
| Senior Judge
| William Alsup
| San Francisco
| 1945
| 1999–2021
| —
| 2021–present
| Clinton
|
57
| Senior Judge
| Phyllis J. Hamilton
| Oakland
| 1952
| 2000–2021
| 2014–2021
| 2021–present
| Clinton
|
58
| Senior Judge
| Jeffrey White
| Oakland
| 1945
| 2002–2021
| —
| 2021–present
| G.W. Bush
|
62
| Senior Judge
| Edward M. Chen
| San Francisco
| 1953
| 2011–2022
| —
| 2022–present
| Obama
|
Vacancies and pending nominations[edit]
Seat Prior judge's duty station Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination
5
| Oakland
| Jeffrey White
| Senior status
| February 1, 2021
| Araceli Martinez-Olguin
| August 1, 2022
|
16
| San Jose
| Lucy Koh
| Elevation
| December 15, 2021
| P. Casey Pitts
| September 6, 2022
|
11
| San Francisco
| Edward M. Chen
| Senior status
| May 17, 2022
| Rita F. Lin
| August 1, 2022
|
Former judges[edit]
# Judge State Born–died Active service Chief JudgeSenior statusAppointed by Reason for
termination
1
| Ogden Hoffman Jr.
| CA
| 1822–1891
| 1851–1866[Note 1] 1886–1891[Note 2]
| —
| —
| Fillmore Operation of law
| reassignment to D. Cal. death
|
2
| William W. Morrow
| CA
| 1843–1929
| 1891–1897[Note 3]
| —
| —
| B. Harrison
| elevation to 9th Cir.
|
3
| John J. De Haven
| CA
| 1849–1913
| 1897–1913
| —
| —
| McKinley
| death
|
4
| William Cary Van Fleet
| CA
| 1852–1923
| 1907–1923[Note 4]
| —
| —
| T. Roosevelt
| death
|
5
| Maurice Timothy Dooling
| CA
| 1860–1924
| 1913–1924
| —
| —
| Wilson
| death
|
6
| John Slater Partridge
| CA
| 1870–1926
| 1923–1926
| —
| —
| Harding
| death
|
7
| Frank Henry Kerrigan
| CA
| 1868–1935
| 1924–1935
| —
| —
| Coolidge
| death
|
8
| Adolphus Frederic St. Sure
| CA
| 1869–1949
| 1925–1947
| —
| 1947–1949
| Coolidge
| death
|
9
| Harold Louderback
| CA
| 1881–1941
| 1928–1941
| —
| —
| Coolidge
| death
|
10
| Michael Joseph Roche
| CA
| 1878–1964
| 1935–1958
| 1948–1958
| 1958–1964
| F. Roosevelt
| death
|
11
| Martin Ignatius Welsh
| CA
| 1882–1953
| 1939–1947
| —
| 1947–1953
| F. Roosevelt
| death
|
12
| Louis Earl Goodman
| CA
| 1892–1961
| 1942–1961
| 1958–1961
| —
| F. Roosevelt
| death
|
13
| George Bernard Harris
| CA
| 1901–1983
| 1946–1970
| 1961–1970
| 1970–1983
| Truman
| death
|
14
| Dal Millington Lemmon
| CA
| 1887–1958
| 1947–1954
| —
| —
| Truman
| elevation to 9th Cir.
|
15
| Herbert Wilson Erskine
| CA
| 1888–1951
| 1949–1951
| —
| —
| Truman
| death
|
16
| Oliver Jesse Carter
| CA
| 1911–1976
| 1950–1976
| 1970–1976
| 1976–1976
| Truman
| death
|
17
| Edward Preston Murphy
| CA
| 1904–1958
| 1950–1958
| —
| —
| Truman
| death
|
18
| Monroe Mark Friedman
| CA
| 1895–1978
| 1952–1953[Note 5]
| —
| —
| Truman
| not confirmed
|
19
| Oliver Deveta Hamlin Jr.
| CA
| 1892–1973
| 1953–1958
| —
| —
| Eisenhower
| elevation to 9th Cir.
|
20
| Sherrill Halbert
| CA
| 1901–1991
| 1954–1966
| —
| —
| Eisenhower
| reassignment to E.D. Cal.
|
21
| Albert Charles Wollenberg
| CA
| 1900–1981
| 1958–1975
| —
| 1975–1981
| Eisenhower
| death
|
22
| Lloyd Hudson Burke
| CA
| 1916–1988
| 1958–1988
| —
| —
| Eisenhower
| death
|
23
| William Thomas Sweigert
| CA
| 1900–1983
| 1959–1973
| —
| 1973–1983
| Eisenhower
| death
|
24
| Thomas Jamison MacBride
| CA
| 1914–2000
| 1961–1966
| —
| —
| Kennedy
| reassignment to E.D. Cal.
|
25
| Alfonso Zirpoli
| CA
| 1905–1995
| 1961–1975
| —
| 1975–1995
| Kennedy
| death
|
26
| Stanley Alexander Weigel
| CA
| 1905–1999
| 1962–1982
| —
| 1982–1997
| Kennedy
| retirement
|
27
| Robert Francis Peckham
| CA
| 1920–1993
| 1966–1988
| 1976–1988
| 1988–1993
| L. Johnson
| death
|
28
| Gerald Sanford Levin
| CA
| 1906–1971
| 1969–1971
| —
| —
| Nixon
| death
|
29
| Robert Howard Schnacke
| CA
| 1913–1994
| 1970–1983
| —
| 1983–1994
| Nixon
| death
|
30
| Samuel Conti
| CA
| 1922–2018
| 1970–1987
| —
| 1987–2018
| Nixon
| death
|
31
| Spencer Mortimer Williams
| CA
| 1922–2008
| 1971–1987
| —
| 1987–2008
| Nixon
| death
|
32
| Charles Byron Renfrew
| CA
| 1928–2017
| 1971–1980
| —
| —
| Nixon
| resignation
|
33
| William Horsley Orrick Jr.
| CA
| 1915–2003
| 1974–1985
| —
| 1985–2003
| Nixon
| death
|
34
| William Austin Ingram
| CA
| 1924–2002
| 1976–1990
| 1988–1990
| 1990–2002
| Ford
| death
|
35
| Cecil F. Poole
| CA
| 1914–1997
| 1976–1980
| —
| —
| Ford
| elevation to 9th Cir.
|
36
| William Schwarzer
| CA
| 1925–2017
| 1976–1991
| —
| 1991–2017
| Ford
| death
|
37
| Robert Peter Aguilar
| CA
| 1931–2020
| 1980–1996
| —
| 1996–1996
| Carter
| retirement
|
39
| Marilyn Hall Patel
| CA
| 1938–present
| 1980–2009
| 1997–2004
| 2009–2012
| Carter
| retirement
|
40
| Eugene F. Lynch
| CA
| 1931–2019
| 1982–1997
| —
| 1997–1997
| Reagan
| retirement
|
41
| John P. Vukasin Jr.
| CA
| 1928–1993
| 1983–1993
| —
| —
| Reagan
| death
|
42
| Charles A. Legge
| CA
| 1930–present
| 1984–2001
| —
| —
| Reagan
| retirement
|
43
| D. Lowell Jensen
| CA
| 1928–present
| 1986–1997
| —
| 1997–2014
| Reagan
| retirement
|
44
| Fern M. Smith
| CA
| 1933–present
| 1988–2003
| —
| 2003–2005
| Reagan
| retirement
|
45
| Vaughn Walker
| CA
| 1944–present
| 1989–2011
| 2004–2010
| —
| G.H.W. Bush
| retirement
|
46
| James Ware
| CA
| 1946–present
| 1990–2012
| 2010–2012
| —
| G.H.W. Bush
| retirement
|
48
| Barbara A. Caulfield
| CA
| 1947–2010
| 1991–1994
| —
| —
| G.H.W. Bush
| resignation
|
54
| Martin Jenkins
| CA
| 1953–present
| 1997–2008
| —
| —
| Clinton
| resignation
|
55
| Jeremy Fogel
| CA
| 1949–present
| 1998–2014
| —
| 2014–2018
| Clinton
| retirement
|
60
| Lucy Koh
| CA
| 1968–present
| 2010–2021
| —
| —
| Obama
| elevation to 9th Cir.
|
- ^ From 1852 to 1854, Judge Hoffman was jointly appointed to the Northern and
Southern Districts of California.
- ^ Reassigned from the
District of California
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 10, 1891, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 11, 1892, and received commission on January 11, 1892
- ^ Recess
appointment; formally nominated on December 3, 1907, confirmed by the Senate on December 17, 1907, and received commission on December 17, 1907
- ^ Recess appointment; the Senate later
rejected the appointment
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]
Seat 1 Seat established on September 28, 1850 by 9 Stat. 521
| Hoffman Jr.
| 1851–1866
| Seat made concurrent with Southern District on August 31, 1852 by 10 Stat. 76, 84
| Seat reassigned solely to Northern District on January 18, 1854 by 10 Stat. 265
| Seat reassigned to District of California on July 27, 1866 by 14 Stat. 300
| Seat reassigned to Northern District on August 5, 1886 by 24 Stat. 308
| Hoffman Jr.
| 1886–1891
| Morrow
| 1891–1897
| DeHaven
| 1897–1913
| Dooling
| 1913–1924
| St. Sure
| 1925–1947
| Erskine
| 1949–1951
| Friedman
| 1952–1953
| Hamlin Jr.
| 1953–1958
| Burke
| 1958–1988
| Seat abolished in 1988 (temporary judgeship expired)
|
|
Seat 2 Seat established on March 2, 1907 by 34 Stat. 1253
| Van Fleet
| 1907–1923
| Kerrigan
| 1924–1935
| Roche
| 1935–1958
| Wollenberg
| 1958–1975
| Schwarzer
| 1976–1991
| Caulfield
| 1991–1994
| Illston
| 1995–2013
| Chhabria
| 2014–present
|
|
Seat 3 Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary)
| Partridge
| 1923–1926
| Seat made permanent on March 3, 1927 by 44 Stat. 1372
| Louderback
| 1928–1941
| Goodman
| 1942–1961
| Weigel
| 1962–1982
| Vukasin Jr.
| 1983–1993
| Chesney
| 1995–2009
| Seeborg
| 2010–present
|
|
Seat 4 Seat established on May 31, 1938 by 52 Stat. 584, 585
| Welsh
| 1939–1947
| Lemmon
| 1947–1954
| Halbert
| 1954–1966
| Seat reassigned to Eastern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75
|
|
|
Seat 5 Seat established on June 15, 1946 by 60 Stat. 260
| Harris
| 1946–1970
| Schnacke
| 1970–1983
| Legge
| 1984–2001
| White
| 2002–2021
| vacant
| 2021–present
|
|
Seat 6 Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493
| Carter
| 1950–1976
| Poole
| 1976–1980
| Henderson
| 1980–1998
| Alsup
| 1999–2021
| Corley
| 2022–present
|
|
Seat 7 Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493
| Murphy
| 1950–1958
| Sweigert
| 1959–1973
| W.H. Orrick Jr.
| 1974–1985
| Jensen
| 1986–1997
| Breyer
| 1997–2011
| W.H. Orrick III
| 2013–present
|
|
Seat 8 Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
| MacBride
| 1961–1966
| Seat reassigned to Eastern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75
|
|
|
Seat 9 Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
| Zirpoli
| 1961–1975
| Ingram
| 1976–1990
| Armstrong
| 1991–2012
| Tigar
| 2013–present
|
|
Seat 10 Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75
| Peckham
| 1966–1988
| Ware
| 1990–2012
| Donato
| 2014–present
|
|
Seat 11 Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75
| Levin
| 1969–1971
| Renfrew
| 1971–1980
| Lynch
| 1982–1997
| Jenkins
| 1997–2008
| Chen
| 2011–2022
| vacant
| 2022–present
|
|
Seat 12 Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294
| Conti
| 1970–1987
| Smith
| 1988–2003
| Seat abolished on May 15, 2003 (temporary judgeship expired)
|
|
|
Seat 13 Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294
| Williams
| 1971–1987
| Walker
| 1989–2011
| Gonzalez Rogers
| 2011–present
|
|
Seat 14 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
| Aguilar
| 1980–1996
| Fogel
| 1998–2014
| Seat abolished on December 31, 2014 (temporary judgeship expired)
|
|
Seat 15 Seat established in 1979 pursuant to 71 Stat. 586 (temporary)
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 1 on March 15, 1988
| Patel
| 1980–2009
| Davila
| 2011–present
|
|
Seat 16 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
| Whyte
| 1992–2009
| Koh
| 2010–2021
| vacant
| 2021–present
|
|
|
Seat 17 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
| Wilken
| 1993–2014
| Gilliam Jr.
| 2014–present
|
|
Seat 18 Seat established on February 9, 2000 pursuant to 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary)
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 12 on May 15, 2003
| Hamilton
| 2000–2021
| Thompson
| 2022–present
|
|
Seat 19 Seat established on October 3, 2011 pursuant to 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary)
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 14 on December 31, 2014
| Freeman
| 2014–present
|
|
|
United States Attorney[edit]
The
United States Attorney for the Northern District of California represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of February 27, 2021 the Acting United States
Attorney is Stephanie Hinds.
See also[edit]
- Courts of California
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in California
References[edit]
- ^
"In this corner . . . | imPaneled". Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved July 26,
2013.
- ^
a b
c d U.S. District Courts of
California, Legislative history Archived May 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ a b
c d
e Willoughby Rodman, History of the Bench and Bar of Southern California (1909), p. 46.
External
links[edit]
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California Official Main,
misconduct and ombudsperson websites
- United States Attorney for the Northern District of California Official Website
- Community History
Exhibits at San Francisco Court facilities
Where is the U.S. district court for the Northern District of California?
What type of court is the Northern District of California?
Home | United States District Court, Northern District of California.
What cities are in the Northern District of California?
The Northern District of California stretches from Del Norte County in the north to Monterey County in the south. The District contains three major metropolitan areas in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose; an expanse of suburban and rural area; and more than 300 public companies centered on Silicon Valley.
What federal district court is California?
In California, there are four federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction.
...
State supreme court..