United_States_District_Court_for_the_Northern_District_of_California

United States District Court for the Northern District of California
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
(N.D. Cal.)
Location	Phillip Burton Federal Building (San Francisco) More locations Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building (Oakland); San Jose; Eureka / McKinleyville;
Appeals to	Ninth Circuit
Established	August 5, 1886
Judges	14
Chief Judge	Richard Seeborg
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Ismail Ramsey
U.S. Marshal	Mark Kolc (acting)
	www.cand.uscourts.gov

United States District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. federal district court in California

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.

Quick Facts Location, Appeals to ...

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).

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article United_States_District_Court_for_the_Northern_District_of_California, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[5] [N 1]
From 1852 to 1854, Judge Hoffman was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of California.

[6] [N 2]
Reassigned from the District of California

[7] [N 3]
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

[8] [N 4]
Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 3, 1907, confirmed by the Senate on December 17, 1907, and received commission on December 17, 1907

[9] [N 5]
Recess appointment; the Senate later rejected the appointment

[1] [1]
"In this corner . . . | imPaneled". Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2013.

[fjcca-2] [2]
U.S. District Courts of California, Legislative history Archived May 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Federal Judicial Center.

[calif-3] [3]
Willoughby Rodman, History of the Bench and Bar of Southern California (1909), p. 46.

[Future-4] [4]
"Future Judicial Vacancies | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov.

[10] [5]
Neyfakh, Leon (June 26, 2017). ""The Most Important Unknown Person in D.C."". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved April 5, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[Note 3]

[Note 4]

[Note 5]

[5]

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Active	Chief	Senior	Appointed by
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
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	Araceli Martínez-Olguín	San Francisco	1977	2023–present	—	—	Biden
73	District Judge	P. Casey Pitts	San Jose	1980	2023–present	—	—	Biden
74	District Judge	Rita F. Lin	San Francisco	1978	2023–present	—	—	Biden
75	District Judge	Eumi K. Lee	San Jose	1972	beg. 2024	—	—	Biden
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
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 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
65	Senior Judge	William Orrick III	San Francisco	1953	2013–2023	—	2023–present	Obama

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed 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	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 H. 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	1930–2023	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
49	Ronald Whyte	CA	1942–2023	1992–2009	—	2009–2023	G.H.W. Bush	death
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.

United_States_District_Court_for_the_Northern_District_of_California

United States District Court for the Northern District of California

History

Current judges

Vacancies and pending nominations

Former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

United States attorney

See also

References

External links

Share this article:

United States District Court for the Northern District of California
(N.D. Cal.)

Location	Phillip Burton Federal Building (San Francisco) More locations Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building (Oakland) San Jose Eureka / McKinleyville
Appeals to	Ninth Circuit
Established	August 5, 1886
Judges	14
Chief Judge	Richard Seeborg
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Ismail Ramsey
U.S. Marshal	Mark Kolc (acting)
www.cand.uscourts.gov