The Central District of California of the United States District Court is one of four federal district courts in California. The other courts cover the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts.
These district courts are the trial courts in the federal court system. They hear cases for federal offenses, Constitutional law, civil cases, and other issues that fall under the umbrella of federal jurisdiction.
The federal court districts are split up based on population. The Central District of California covers seven counties, including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura.
The Central District of California, created in September 1966, covers around 20 million people in Southern and Central California. Most cases are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. This court is divided into three divisions and has jurisdiction over seven counties, including Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside.
The Central District handles more than 17,000 cases filed annually. As noted, the Central District is subdivided into three divisions as follows:
- The Western Division, including Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties;
- The Eastern Division, including Riverside and San Bernardino Counties;
- The Southern Division, including Orange County.
Central District Court Locations
Western Division (Los Angeles)
First Street U.S. Courthouse
350 W 1st Street, Suite 4311
Los Angeles, CA 90012-4565
Business Hours: 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday
Phone: (213) 894-1565
Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse
255 East Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3332
Business Hours: 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday
Phone: (213) 894-1565
Eastern Division (Riverside)
George E. Brown, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse
3470 Twelfth Street
Riverside, CA 92501-3801
Business Hours: 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday
Phone: (951) 328-4450
Southern Division (Santa Ana)
Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
411 West 4th Street, Room 1053
Santa Ana, CA 92701-4516
Business Hours: 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday
Phone: (714) 338-4750
Roybal Federal Building
One is called the Roybal Building and is in downtown Los Angeles at 255 East Temple Street.
The main use of the courthouse, in addition to a marshal lock-up, is to bring people through there who make their initial appearance.
So, there are a lot of people appearing typically on a 2:00 calendar on certain days of the week who are arrested, brought in; they face their charges:
- They get their indictment if there's an indictment on their case,
- Certain court dates are set there,
- Custody status is argued by their attorney and
- Then, the case is assigned to a court within the Central District depending on exactly where the crime occurred.
Federal Judges for the Central District of California
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California is presided over by 28 federal judges. The current president nominates these judges and is then confirmed to lifetime terms by the Senate. The current active judges in the Central District are:
- Philip Gutierrez (Chief Judge)
- Fernando Aenlle-Rocha
- Percy Anderson
- Jesus Bernal
- André Birotte, Jr.
- Stanley Blumenfeld
- Cormac Carney
- David O. Carter
- Valerie Fairbank
- Dale S. Fischer
- Michael Fitzgerald
- Sherilyn P. Garnett
- Dolly M. Gee
- Terry Hatter, Jr.
- Philip Gutierrez
- John William Holcomb
- Weseley L. Hsu
- William D. Keller
- Robert Klausner
- John A. Kronstadt
- Consuelo Marshall
- Valerie Phillips
- Dean Pregerson
- Fernando Olguin
- Mark C. Scarsi
- Fred W. Slaughter
- Christina Snyder
- Josephine Staton
- Sunshine S. Sykes
- Herman Vera
- John F. Walter
- Stephen Wilson
- Otis D. Wright II
- George Wu
The Central District of California also has a roster of senior and magistrate judges to help handle some cases, as follows:
- Senior judges are eligible for retirement after a certain age and at least 15 years of service. They are ten senior judges, and they hear cases on a volunteer basis.
- Federal magistrate judges are lower judges that are elected. They serve eight-year terms rather than being appointed. They are assigned to specific tasks by active federal judges. About 25 magistrate judges serve the Central District.
How Does the Federal District Court System Work?
The Central District has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases as a federal court.
The types of civil cases the Central District hears are diverse and involve parties from different states or countries. Some examples include criminal, contracts, intellectual property disputes, bankruptcy proceedings, immigration matters, and personal injury claims from federal acts.
Criminal cases that allegedly violate federal laws are the most common cases in the Central District. These include the following:
- 18 U.S.C. 1341 - Mail Fraud
- 18 U.S.C. 1343 - Wire Fraud
- 18 U.S.C. 1344 - Bank fraud
- 18 U.S.C. 157 - Bankruptcy Fraud
- 18 U.S.C. 1030 - Computer Hacking
- 18 U.S.C. 1029 - Credit Card Fraud
- 18 U.S.C. 471 - Counterfeiting
- 18 U.S.C. 873 - Extortion
- 18 U.S.C. 471 - Forgery
- 15 U.S.C. 78a - Insider Trading
- 26 U.S.C. 7201 - Tax Evasion
- 42 U.S.C. 408 - Social Security Fraud
- 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b - Anti-Kickback Statute
- 18 U.S.C. 287 - False Claims Act
- 18 U.S.C. 1348 - Securities Fraud
- 18 U.S.C. 371 - Conspiracy
- 18 U.S.C. 1347 - Health Care Fraud
- 18 U.S.C. 1956 - Money Laundering
- 18 U.S.C. 1961 - Racketeering and Organized Crime
- 18 U.S.C. 2251 - Sexual Exploitation of Children
- 18 U.S.C. 2252 - Child Pornography
- 21 U.S.C. 841 - Drug Trafficking
Decisions in the Central District of California can be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, CA.
The Hedding Law Firm represents defendants facing criminal charges in federal court. We have a history of success in all four locations within the U.S. District Court for the Central District. Contact us for a free case evaluation.
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