United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (in case citations, E.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).
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California | |
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(E.D. Cal.) | |
Location | Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse More locations |
Appeals to | Ninth Circuit |
Established | September 18, 1966 |
Judges | 6 |
Chief Judge | Kimberly J. Mueller |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Phillip Talbert |
U.S. Marshal | Lasha Boyden (acting) |
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The District was created on March 18, 1966, with the division of the Northern and Southern districts, leading to the creation of the Central and Eastern districts.[1]
The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of June 23, 2022 the United States attorney is Phillip Talbert.
Organization of the court
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California is one of four federal judicial districts in California.[2] Court for the District is held at the Robert E. Coyle U.S. Courthouse in Fresno and Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento.
- Fresno Division comprises the following counties: Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne.
- Sacramento Division comprises the following counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba.
- Bakersfield Office hears misdemeanor and petty criminal offenses on federal lands and National Parks in Inyo and Kern counties. Court is held at Bakersfield, Edwards Air Force Base, and Ridgecrest.
- Redding Office hears misdemeanor and petty criminal offenses on federal lands and National Parks in Northern California. Court is held at Sierra Army Depot, Redding, and Susanville.
- Yosemite Office hears misdemeanor and petty criminal offenses in Yosemite National Park. National parks are under federal jurisdiction. The perennially large crowds of tourists at Yosemite create a unique situation justifying the presence of a courthouse inside the park itself.
Current judges
As of February 21, 2023:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
20 | Chief Judge | Kimberly J. Mueller | Sacramento | 1957 | 2010–present | 2020–present | — | Obama |
21 | District Judge | Troy L. Nunley | Sacramento | 1964 | 2013–present | — | — | Obama |
22 | District Judge | Dale A. Drozd | Sacramento | 1955 | 2015–present | — | — | Obama |
23 | District Judge | Jennifer L. Thurston | Fresno | 1967 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
24 | District Judge | Ana de Alba | Fresno | 1979 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
25 | District Judge | Daniel Calabretta | Sacramento | 1978 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
11 | Senior Judge | William B. Shubb | Sacramento | 1938 | 1990–2004 | 1996–2003 | 2004–present | G.H.W. Bush |
14 | Senior Judge | Garland E. Burrell Jr. | inactive | 1947 | 1992–2012 | 2007–2008 | 2012–present | G.H.W. Bush |
15 | Senior Judge | Anthony W. Ishii | Fresno | 1946 | 1997–2012 | 2008–2012 | 2012–present | Clinton |
17 | Senior Judge | Morrison C. England Jr. | Sacramento | 1954 | 2002–2019 | 2012–2016 | 2019–present | G.W. Bush |
18 | Senior Judge | Lawrence Joseph O'Neill | inactive | 1952 | 2007–2020 | 2016–2019 | 2020–present | G.W. Bush |
19 | Senior Judge | John Mendez | Sacramento | 1955 | 2008–2022 | — | 2022–present | G.W. Bush |
Vacancies and pending nominations
Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Fresno | Ana de Alba | Elevation | TBD[3] | Kirk E. Sherriff | pending |
2 | Sacramento | Kimberly J. Mueller | Senior status | September 17, 2024[3] | – | – |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Myron Donovan Crocker | CA | 1915–2010 | 1966–1981[Note 1] | 1966–1967 | 1981–2010 | Eisenhower/Operation of law | death |
2 | Sherrill Halbert | CA | 1901–1991 | 1966–1969[Note 1] | — | 1969–1991 | Eisenhower/Operation of law | death |
3 | Thomas Jamison MacBride | CA | 1914–2000 | 1966–1979[Note 2] | 1967–1979 | 1979–2000 | Kennedy/Operation of law | death |
4 | Philip Charles Wilkins | CA | 1913–1998 | 1969–1983 | 1979–1983 | 1983–1998 | Nixon | death |
5 | Lawrence K. Karlton | CA | 1935–2015 | 1979–2000 | 1983–1990 | 2000–2015 | Carter | death |
6 | Milton Lewis Schwartz | CA | 1920–2005 | 1979–1990 | — | 1990–2005 | Carter | death |
7 | Edward Dean Price | CA | 1919–1997 | 1979–1989 | — | 1989–1997 | Carter | death |
8 | Raul Anthony Ramirez | CA | 1944–present | 1980–1989 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
9 | Robert Everett Coyle | CA | 1930–2012 | 1982–1996 | 1990–1996 | 1996–2012 | Reagan | death |
10 | Edward J. Garcia | CA | 1928–2023 | 1984–1996 | — | 1996–2023 | Reagan | death |
12 | David F. Levi | CA | 1951–present | 1990–2007 | 2003–2007 | — | G.H.W. Bush | resignation |
13 | Oliver Winston Wanger | CA | 1940–present | 1991–2006 | — | 2006–2011 | G.H.W. Bush | retirement |
16 | Frank C. Damrell Jr. | CA | 1938–present | 1997–2008 | — | 2008–2011 | Clinton | retirement |
- Reassigned from the Southern District of California.
- Reassigned from the Northern District of California.
Chief judges
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
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Request for expansion
The six sitting judges and three senior judges have submitted a draft letter[4] to the members of the Senate and House of Representatives from the Eastern District in which they argue that population growth in the district has necessitated an increase in the number of district judges.
See also
References
- http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/courts_district_ca.html U.S. District Courts of California, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center
- 28 U.S.C. § 84
- "Future Judicial Vacancies | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov.
- "The purpose of this letter … is to provide notice of a current crisis [In the Eastern District] | Central District Insider".