United states district court southern district of california case search

This page provides links to various Federal District Courts of the United States used in the Summary of Criminal Prosecutions. States may have more than one district, these districts are broken down by geographic location. You may search the Summary of Criminal Prosecutions for cases in a specific Federal District Court.

Table of Contents Show

Organization of the court[edit]
Current judges[edit]
Vacancies and pending nominations[edit]
Former judges[edit]
Chief judges[edit]
Succession of seats[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Can you look up California court cases?
Where is the United States district court for the Southern District of California?
How do I find local court cases?
What counties are in the Southern District of California?

In addition, some EPA Criminal Enforcement offices' area of responsibility is determined by the geographic area serviced by a specific Federal District Court.

ALABAMA
Alabama Middle District Court
Alabama Northern District Court
Alabama Southern District Court

ALASKA
Alaska District Court

ARIZONA
Arizona District Court

ARKANSAS
Arkansas Eastern District Court
Arkansas Western District Court

CALIFORNIA
California Central District
California Eastern District
California Northern District Court
California Southern District Court

COLORADO
Colorado District Court

CONNECTICUT
Connecticut District Court

DELAWARE
Delaware District Court

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DC District Court

FLORIDA
Florida Middle District Court
Florida Northern District Court
Florida Southern District Court

GEORGIA
Georgia Middle District Court
Georgia Northern District Court
Georgia Southern District Court

HAWAII
Hawaii District Court

IDAHO
Idaho Bankruptcy/District Court

ILLINOIS
Illinois Central District Court
Illinois Northern District Court
Illinois Southern District Court

INDIANA
Indiana Northern District Court
Indiana Southern District Court

IOWA
Iowa Northern District Court
Iowa Southern District Court

KANSAS
Kansas District Court

KENTUCKY
Kentucky Eastern District Court
Kentucky Western District Court

LOUISIANA
Louisiana Eastern District Court
Louisiana Middle District Court
Louisiana Western District Court

MAINE
Maine District Court

MARYLAND
Maryland District Court

MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts District Court

MICHIGAN
Michigan Eastern District
Michigan Western District Court

MINNESOTA
Minnesota District Court

MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi Northern District Court
Mississippi Southern District Court

MISSOURI
Missouri Eastern District Court
Missouri Western District and Bankruptcy Courts

MONTANA
Montana District Court

NEBRASKA
Nebraska District Court

NEVADA
Nevada District Court

NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire District Court

NEW JERSEY
New Jersey District Court

NEW MEXICO
New Mexico District Court

NEW YORK
New York Eastern District Court
New York Western District Court
New York Northern District Court
New York Southern District Court

NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Eastern District Court
North Carolina Middle District Court
North Carolina Western District Court

NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota District Court

OHIO
Ohio Northern District Court
Ohio Southern District Court

OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Eastern District Court
Oklahoma Northern District Court
Oklahoma Western District Court

OREGON
Oregon District Court

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania Eastern District Court
Pennsylvania Middle District Court
Pennsylvania Western District Court

RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island District Court

SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina District Court

SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota District Court

TENNESSEE
Tennessee Eastern District Court
Tennessee Middle District Court
Tennessee Western District Court

TEXAS
Texas Eastern District Court
Texas Northern District Court
Texas Southern District/Bankruptcy Courts
Texas Western District Court

UTAH
Utah District Court

VERMONT
Vermont District Court

VIRGINIA
Virginia Eastern District Court
Virginia Western District Court

WASHINGTON
Washington Eastern District Court
Washington Western District Court

WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia Northern District Court
West Virginia Southern District Court

WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Eastern District Court
Wisconsin Western District Court

WYOMING
Wyoming District Court

GUAM
Guam District Court

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
Northern Mariana Islands District Court

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico District Court

VIRGIN ISLANDS
Virgin Islands District Court

United States District Court for the Southern District of California
(S.D. Cal.)

Location	Edward J. Schwartz U.S. Courthouse (San Diego) More locations James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep U.S. Courthouse (San Diego) El Centro
Appeals to	Ninth Circuit
Established	August 5, 1886
Judges	13
Chief Judge	Dana Sabraw
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Randy Grossman
U.S. Marshal	Steven C. Stafford
www.casd.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the Southern District of California (in case citations, S.D. Cal.) is a federal court in 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).

The District was created on September 28, 1850, following the passage of the California Statehood Act on September 9, 1850. The state was divided into a Northern and Southern district. The Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 abolished the Northern and Southern districts, re-organizing California as a single circuit district. On August 5, 1886 the Southern district was re-established, following the division of the state into Northern and Southern districts. The district was further divided on March 18, 1966 with the creation of the Central and Eastern districts.[1]

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of December 17, 2021 the United States Attorney is Randy Grossman.[2]

Organization of the court[edit]

The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is one of four federal district courts in California.[3] Court for the District is held at El Centro and the Edward J. Schwartz U.S. Courthouse and U.S. Courthouse Annex in San Diego. The district comprises Imperial and San Diego counties.

Current judges[edit]

As of June 14, 2022:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service	Appointed by
Active	Chief	Senior
58	Chief Judge	Dana Sabraw	San Diego	1958	2003–present	2021–present	—	G.W. Bush
62	District Judge	Janis Lynn Sammartino	San Diego	1950	2007–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
65	District Judge	Cathy Ann Bencivengo	San Diego	1958	2012–present	—	—	Obama
66	District Judge	Gonzalo P. Curiel	San Diego	1953	2012–present	—	—	Obama
67	District Judge	Cynthia Bashant	San Diego	1960	2014–present	—	—	Obama
68	District Judge	Todd W. Robinson	San Diego	1967	2020–present	—	—	Trump
69	District Judge	Linda Lopez	San Diego	1968	2021–present	—	—	Biden
70	District Judge	Jinsook Ohta	San Diego	1976	2021–present	—	—	Biden
71	District Judge	Ruth Bermudez Montenegro	San Diego	1967	2022–present	—	—	Biden
72	District Judge	Robert S. Huie	San Diego	1976	2022–present	—	—	Biden
73	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
74	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
75	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
50	Senior Judge	Marilyn L. Huff	San Diego	1951	1991–2016	1998–2005	2016–present	G.H.W. Bush
53	Senior Judge	Barry Ted Moskowitz	San Diego	1950	1995–2019	2012–2019	2019–present	Clinton
54	Senior Judge	Jeffrey T. Miller	San Diego	1943	1997–2010	—	2010–present	Clinton
55	Senior Judge	Thomas J. Whelan	San Diego	1940	1998–2010	—	2010–present	Clinton
56	Senior Judge	M. James Lorenz	San Diego	1935	1999–2009	—	2009–present	Clinton
57	Senior Judge	Larry Alan Burns	San Diego	1954	2003–2021	2019–2021	2021–present	G.W. Bush
59	Senior Judge	William Q. Hayes	San Diego	1956	2003–2021	—	2021–present	G.W. Bush
60	Senior Judge	John A. Houston	San Diego	1952	2003–2018	—	2018–present	G.W. Bush
61	Senior Judge	Roger Benitez	San Diego	1950	2004–2017	—	2017–present	G.W. Bush
63	Senior Judge	Michael Anello	San Diego	1943	2008–2018	—	2018–present	G.W. Bush
64	Senior Judge	Anthony J. Battaglia	San Diego	1949	2011–2021	—	2021–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
21	San Diego	Larry Alan Burns	Senior status	January 22, 2021	Andrew G. Schopler	July 14, 2022
5	Anthony J. Battaglia	March 31, 2021	James E. Simmons Jr.
23	William Q. Hayes	August 1, 2021	–	–
17	Gonzalo P. Curiel	September 7, 2023[4]	–	–

Former judges[edit]

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	James McHall Jones	CA	1823–1851	1850–1851	—	—	Fillmore	death
2	Ogden Hoffman Jr.	CA	1822–1891	1852–1854[Note 1]	—	—	Fillmore/Operation of law	seat abolished
3	Isaac Stockton Keith Ogier	CA	1819–1861	1854–1861	—	—	Pierce	death
4	Fletcher Mathews Haight	CA	1799–1866	1861–1866	—	—	Lincoln	death
5	Erskine Mayo Ross	CA	1845–1928	1887–1895	—	—	Cleveland	elevation to 9th Cir.
6	Olin Wellborn	CA	1843–1921	1895–1915	—	—	Cleveland	retirement
7	Benjamin Franklin Bledsoe	CA	1874–1938	1914–1925	—	—	Wilson	resignation
8	Oscar A. Trippet	CA	1856–1923	1915–1923	—	—	Wilson	death
9	William P. James	CA	1870–1940	1923–1940	—	—	Harding	death
10	Paul John McCormick	CA	1879–1960	1924–1951	1948–1951	1951–1960	Coolidge	death
11	Edward J. Henning	CA	1868–1937	1925–1929[Note 2]	—	—	Coolidge	resignation
12	George Cosgrave	CA	1870–1945	1930–1940	—	1940–1945	Hoover	death
13	Harry Aaron Hollzer	CA	1880–1946	1931–1946	—	—	Hoover	death
14	Albert Lee Stephens Sr.	CA	1874–1965	1935–1937	—	—	F. Roosevelt	elevation to 9th Cir.
15	Leon Rene Yankwich	CA	1888–1975	1935–1964	1951–1959	1964–1966	F. Roosevelt	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
16	Ralph E. Jenney	CA	1883–1945	1937–1945	—	—	F. Roosevelt	death
17	Campbell E. Beaumont	CA	1883–1954	1939–1954	—	—	F. Roosevelt	death
18	Benjamin Harrison	CA	1888–1960	1940–1960	1959–1959	—	F. Roosevelt	death
19	James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor	CA	1886–1949	1940–1949	—	—	F. Roosevelt	death
20	Peirson Mitchell Hall	CA	1894–1979	1942–1966	1959–1964	—	F. Roosevelt	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
21	William Carey Mathes	CA	1899–1967	1945–1965	1964–1965	1965–1967	Truman	death
22	Jacob Weinberger	CA	1882–1974	1946–1958	—	1958–1974	Truman	death
23	James Marshall Carter	CA	1904–1979	1949–1967	1966–1967	—	Truman	elevation to 9th Cir.
24	Harry Clay Westover	CA	1894–1983	1949–1965	—	1965–1983	Truman	death
25	William Matthew Byrne Sr.	CA	1896–1974	1950–1966[Note 3]	1965–1966	1966	Truman	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
26	Ernest Allen Tolin	CA	1904–1961	1951–1961[Note 4]	—	—	Truman	death
27	Gilbert H. Jertberg	CA	1897–1973	1955–1958	—	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 9th Cir.
28	Thurmond Clarke	CA	1902–1971	1955–1966	1966	—	Eisenhower	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
29	Fred Kunzel	CA	1901–1969	1959–1969	1967–1969	—	Eisenhower	death
30	Myron Donovan Crocker	CA	1915–2010	1959–1966	—	—	Eisenhower	reassignment to E.D. Cal.
31	Albert Lee Stephens Jr.	CA	1913–2001	1961–1966	—	—	Kennedy	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
32	Charles Hardy Carr	CA	1903–1976	1962–1966	—	—	Kennedy	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
33	Jesse William Curtis Jr.	CA	1905–2008	1962–1966	—	—	Kennedy	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
34	Elisha Avery Crary	CA	1905–1978	1962–1966	—	—	Kennedy	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
35	Francis C. Whelan	CA	1907–1991	1964–1966	—	—	L. Johnson	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
36	Irving Hill	CA	1915–1998	1965–1966	—	—	L. Johnson	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
37	A. Andrew Hauk	CA	1912–2004	1966	—	—	L. Johnson	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
38	William Percival Gray	CA	1912–1992	1966	—	—	L. Johnson	reassignment to C.D. Cal.
39	Edward Joseph Schwartz	CA	1912–2000	1968–1982	1969–1982	1982–2000	L. Johnson	death
40	Howard Boyd Turrentine	CA	1914–2010	1970–1984	1982–1984	1984–2010	Nixon	death
41	Gordon Thompson Jr.	CA	1929–2015	1970–1994	1984–1991	1994–2015	Nixon	death
42	John Clifford Wallace	CA	1928–present	1970–1972	—	—	Nixon	elevation to 9th Cir.
43	Leland Chris Nielsen	CA	1919–1999	1971–1985	—	1985–1999	Nixon	death
44	William Benner Enright	CA	1925–2020	1972–1990	—	1990–2020	Nixon	death
45	Judith Keep	CA	1944–2004	1980–2004	1991–1998	—	Carter	death
46	Earl Ben Gilliam	CA	1931–2001	1980–1993	—	1993–2001	Carter	death
47	J. Lawrence Irving	CA	1935–present	1982–1990	—	—	Reagan	resignation
48	Rudi M. Brewster	CA	1932–2012	1984–1998	—	1998–2012	Reagan	death
49	John Skylstead Rhoades Sr.	CA	1925–2007	1985–1995	—	1995–2007	Reagan	death
51	Irma Elsa Gonzalez	CA	1948–present	1992–2013	2005–2012	2013	G.H.W. Bush	retirement
52	Napoleon A. Jones Jr.	CA	1940–2009	1994–2007	—	2007–2009	Clinton	death

^ Jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of California.
^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1925, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 15, 1925, and received commission on December 15, 1925.
^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on November 27, 1950, confirmed by the Senate on December 13, 1950, and received commission on December 21, 1950.
^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on March 3, 1952, confirmed by the Senate on June 10, 1952, and received commission on June 11, 1952.

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
J. Jones	1850–1851
Seat abolished on August 31, 1852 by 10 Stat. 76, 84
Seat reestablished on January 18, 1854 by 10 Stat. 265
Ogier	1854–1861
Haight	1861–1866
Seat abolished on July 27, 1866 by 14 Stat. 300
Seat reestablished on August 5, 1886 by 24 Stat. 308
Ross	1887–1895
Wellborn	1895–1915
Trippet	1915–1923
McCormick	1924–1951
Tolin	1952–1961
Crary	1962–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 2
Seat assigned on August 31, 1852 by 10 Stat. 76, 84 (concurrent with Northern District)
Hoffman, Jr.	1852–1854
Seat reassigned solely to Northern District on January 18, 1854 by 10 Stat. 265

Seat 3
Seat established on July 30, 1914 by 38 Stat. 580
Bledsoe	1914–1925
Henning	1925–1929
Cosgrave	1930–1940
Hall	1942–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 4
Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on August 19, 1935 by 49 Stat. 659
James	1923–1940
O'Connor	1940–1949
Byrne, Sr.	1950–1966
Hauk	1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 5
Seat established on July 27, 1930 by 46 Stat. 819
Hollzer	1931–1946
Weinberger	1946–1958
Kunzel	1959–1969
Turrentine	1970–1984
Brewster	1984–1998
Lorenz	1999–2009
Battaglia	2011–2021
vacant	2021–present

Seat 6
Seat established on August 2, 1935 by 49 Stat. 508
A.L. Stephens, Sr.	1935–1937
Jenney	1937–1945
Mathes	1945–1965
Hill	1965–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 7
Seat established on August 2, 1935 by 49 Stat. 508
Yankwich	1935–1964
F. Whelan	1964–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 8
Seat established on May 31, 1938 by 52 Stat. 584, 585
Beaumont	1939–1954
Jertberg	1955–1958
Crocker	1959–1966
Seat reassigned to Eastern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 9
Seat established on May 24, 1940 by 54 Stat. 219, 220
Harrison	1940–1960
A.L. Stephens, Jr.	1961–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 10
Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493
Westover	1949–1965
Gray	1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 11
Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493
Carter	1949–1967
Schwartz	1968–1982
Irving	1982–1990
Gonzalez	1992–2013
Bashant	2014–present

Seat 12
Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8
Clarke	1955–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 13
Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
Carr	1962–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 14
Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
Curtis, Jr.	1962–1966
Seat reassigned to Central District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75

Seat 15
Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294
Wallace	1970–1972
Enright	1972–1990
Huff	1991–2016
Robinson	2020–present

Seat 16
Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294
Thompson, Jr.	1970–1994
Miller	1997–2010
Bencivengo	2012–present

Seat 17
Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294
Nielsen	1971–1985
Rhoades, Sr.	1985–1995
T. Whelan	1998–2010
Curiel	2012–present

Seat 18
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Keep	1980–2004
Sammartino	2007–present

Seat 19
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Gilliam	1980–1993
N. Jones, Jr.	1994–2007
Anello	2008–2018
Huie	2022–present

Seat 20
Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
Moskowitz	1995–2019
Ohta	2021–present

Seat 21
Seat established on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758
Burns	2003–2021
vacant	2021–present

Seat 22
Seat established on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758
Sabraw	2003–present

Seat 23
Seat established on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758
Hayes	2003–2021
vacant	2021–present

Seat 24
Seat established on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758
Houston	2003–2018
Montenegro	2022–present

Seat 25
Seat established on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758
Benitez	2004–2017
Lopez	2021–present

References[edit]

^ "U.S. District Courts for the Districts of California: Legislative History". Retrieved July 2, 2010.
^ "Meet the U.S. Attorney". January 4, 2022.
^ 28 U.S.C. § 84
^ Future Judicial Vacancies

External links[edit]

United States District Court for the Southern District of California
United States Attorney for the Southern District of California

Can you look up California court cases?

There are three ways to look at court records: Go to the courthouse and ask to look at paper records. Go to the courthouse and look at electronic court records. If your court offers it, look at electronic records over the internet.

Where is the United States district court for the Southern District of California?

The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is one of four federal judicial districts in California. Court is held in San Diego at the Edward J. Schwartz U.S. Courthouse and the James M. Carter and Judith N.

How do I find local court cases?

PACER allows anyone with an account to search and locate appellate, district, and bankruptcy court case and docket information. Register for a PACER account. Use the PACER Case Locator if you are not sure which specific federal court the case was filed.