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United States District Court for the Northern District of California

 
Wikipedia: United States District Court for the Northern District of California
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United States District Court for the Northern District of California
(N.D. Cal.)
Appeals to Ninth Circuit
Established August 5, 1886
Judges assigned 14
Chief judge Vaughn R. Walker
Official site

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 following counties: 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).

The United States Attorney for the Northern District of California represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. Kevin V. Ryan was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California on May 15, 2002. Ryan resigned in February 2007 and was replaced by interim United States Attorney Scott N. Schools.

Contents

History

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.[1] The boundary line was at the 37th parallel of North Latitude.[2] 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,[1] 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.[2] 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.[1][2]

Twenty years later, on August 5, 1886, Congress re-created the Southern District of California by 24 Stat. 308.[2] 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.[2] On March 18, 1966, the Eastern and Central Districts were created from portions of the Northern and Southern Districts by 80 Stat. 75.[1]

Current judges

  • As of April 3, 2008, a vacancy exists in the Northern District of California due to the resignation of Judge Martin Jenkins. On August 7, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Magistrate Judge Edward M. Chen to fill the vacancy.[3]
  • As of June 30, 2009, a second vacancy exists in the District due to Judge Maxine M. Chesney's decision to assume senior status. No replacement nomination is pending at this time.
  • As of October 30, 2009, a third vacancy exists in the District due to Judge Marilyn Hall Patel's decision to assume senior status. No replacement nomination is pending at this time.
# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
45 Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker San Francisco 1944 1989–present 2004–present — G.H.W. Bush
46 District Judge James Ware San Jose 1946 1990–present — — G.H.W. Bush
47 District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong Oakland 1947 1991–present — — G.H.W. Bush
50 District Judge Claudia Ann Wilken Oakland 1949 1993–present — — Clinton
52 District Judge Susan Illston San Francisco 1948 1995–present — — Clinton
53 District Judge Charles R. Breyer San Francisco 1941 1997–present — — Clinton
55 District Judge Jeremy D. Fogel San Jose 1949 1998–present — — Clinton
56 District Judge William Haskell Alsup San Francisco 1945 1999–present — — Clinton
57 District Judge Phyllis Jean Hamilton Oakland 1952 2000–present — — Clinton
58 District Judge Jeffrey White San Francisco 1945 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
59 District Judge Richard G. Seeborg (n/a) 1956 2010–present — — Obama
— District Judge (vacant) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)
— District Judge (vacant) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)
— District Judge (vacant) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)
30 Senior District Judge Samuel Conti San Francisco 1922 1970–1987 (none) 1987–present Nixon
36 Senior District Judge William W Schwarzer San Francisco 1925 1976–1991 (none) 1991–present Ford
38 Senior District Judge Thelton Henderson San Francisco 1933 1980–1998 1990–1997 1998–present Carter
39 Senior District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel San Francisco 1938 1980–2009 1997–2004 2009–present Carter
43 Senior District Judge Delwen Lowell Jensen Oakland 1928 1986–1997 (none) 1997–present Reagan
49 Senior District Judge Ronald M. Whyte San Jose 1942 1992–2009 (none) 2009–present G.H.W. Bush
51 Senior District Judge Maxine M. Chesney San Francisco 1942 1995–2009 (none) 2009–present Clinton

Former judges

Judge Appointed by Began active
service		 Ended active
service		 Ended senior
status		 End reason
Robert Peter Aguilar Jimmy Carter 01980-06-18 June 18, 1980 01996-04-15 April 15, 1996 01996-06-24 June 24, 1996 retirement
Lloyd Hudson Burke Dwight D. Eisenhower 01958-07-21 July 21, 1958 01979-08-20 August 20, 1979 01988-03-15 March 15, 1988 death
Oliver Jesse Carter Harry S. Truman 01950-09-27 September 27, 1950[4] 01976-04-07 April 7, 1976 01976-06-14 June 14, 1976 death
Barbara A. Caulfield George H. W. Bush 01991-11-05 November 5, 1991 01994-09-16 September 16, 1994 – resignation
John J. De Haven William McKinley 01897-06-08 June 8, 1897 01913-01-26 January 26, 1913 – death
Maurice Timothy Dooling Woodrow Wilson 01913-07-28 July 28, 1913 01924-11-04 November 4, 1924 – death
Herbert Wilson Erskine Harry S. Truman 01949-03-01 March 1, 1949 01951-03-18 March 18, 1951 – death
Monroe Mark Friedman Harry S. Truman 01952-07-17 July 17, 1952[5] 01953-07-24 July 24, 1953 – not confirmed
Louis Earl Goodman Franklin D. Roosevelt 01942-12-24 December 24, 1942 01961-09-15 September 15, 1961 – death
Sherrill Halbert Dwight D. Eisenhower 01954-08-26 August 26, 1954 01966-09-18 September 18, 1966 – assignment to another court
Oliver Deveta Hamlin, Jr. Dwight D. Eisenhower 01953-08-03 August 3, 1953 01958-04-15 April 15, 1958 – reappointment
George Bernard Harris Harry S. Truman 01946-07-09 July 9, 1946 01970-07-31 July 31, 1970 01983-10-18 October 18, 1983 death
Ogden Hoffman, Jr. Millard Fillmore 01851-02-27 February 27, 1851 01866-07-23 July 23, 1866 – assignment to another court
Ogden Hoffman, Jr. – – 01891-08-09 August 9, 1891 – death
William Austin Ingram Gerald Ford 01976-07-23 July 23, 1976 01990-11-15 November 15, 1990 02002-05-26 May 26, 2002 death
Martin Jenkins Bill Clinton 01997-11-12 November 12, 1997 02008-04-03 April 3, 2008 – resignation
Frank Henry Kerrigan Calvin Coolidge 01924-01-28 January 28, 1924 01935-02-09 February 9, 1935 – death
Charles A. Legge Ronald Reagan 01984-09-18 September 18, 1984 02001-06-30 June 30, 2001 – retirement
Dal Millington Lemmon Harry S. Truman 01947-02-07 February 7, 1947 01954-05-03 May 3, 1954 – reappointment
Gerald Sanford Levin Richard Nixon 01969-07-14 July 14, 1969 01971-06-05 June 5, 1971 – death
Harold Louderback Calvin Coolidge 01928-04-17 April 17, 1928 01941-12-11 December 11, 1941 – death
Eugene F. Lynch Ronald Reagan 01982-03-09 March 9, 1982 01997-03-14 March 14, 1997 01997-07-12 July 12, 1997 retirement
Thomas Jamison MacBride John F. Kennedy 01961-09-22 September 22, 1961 01966-09-18 September 18, 1966 – assignment to another court
William W. Morrow Benjamin Harrison 01891-08-11 August 11, 1891[6] 01897-06-01 June 1, 1897 – reappointment
Edward Preston Murphy Harry S. Truman 01950-12-21 December 21, 1950 01958-12-13 December 13, 1958 – death
William Horsley Orrick Jr. Richard Nixon 01974-07-08 July 8, 1974 01985-10-31 October 31, 1985 02003-08-14 August 14, 2003 death
John Slater Partridge Warren G. Harding 01923-03-03 March 3, 1923 01926-05-20 May 20, 1926 – death
Robert Francis Peckham Lyndon B. Johnson 01966-11-03 November 3, 1966 01988-11-11 November 11, 1988 01993-02-16 February 16, 1993 death
Cecil F. Poole Gerald Ford 01976-07-23 July 23, 1976 01980-03-31 March 31, 1980 – reappointment
Charles Byron Renfrew Richard Nixon 01971-12-09 December 9, 1971 01980-02-27 February 27, 1980 – resignation
Michael Joseph Roche Franklin D. Roosevelt 01935-04-24 April 24, 1935 01958-03-01 March 1, 1958 01964-07-01 July 1, 1964 death
Robert Howard Schnacke Richard Nixon 01970-10-15 October 15, 1970 01983-12-31 December 31, 1983 01994-06-05 June 5, 1994 death
Fern M. Smith Ronald Reagan 01988-07-27 July 27, 1988 02003-05-15 May 15, 2003 02005-06-30 June 30, 2005 retirement
Adolphus Frederic St. Sure Calvin Coolidge 01925-02-23 February 23, 1925 01947-06-30 June 30, 1947 01949-02-05 February 5, 1949 death
William Thomas Sweigert Dwight D. Eisenhower 01959-09-21 September 21, 1959 01973-11-30 November 30, 1973 01983-02-16 February 16, 1983 death
William Cary Van Fleet Theodore Roosevelt 01907-04-02 April 2, 1907[7] 01923-09-03 September 3, 1923 – death
John P. Vukasin Jr. Ronald Reagan 01983-09-20 September 20, 1983 01993-09-20 September 20, 1993 – death
Stanley Alexander Weigel John F. Kennedy 01962-08-15 August 15, 1962 01982-10-09 October 9, 1982 01997-09-30 September 30, 1997 retirement
Martin Ignatius Welsh Franklin D. Roosevelt 01939-07-14 July 14, 1939 01946-12-31 December 31, 1946 01953-01-04 January 4, 1953 death
Spencer Mortimer Williams Richard Nixon 01971-07-29 July 29, 1971 01987-02-23 February 23, 1987 02008-01-03 January 3, 2008 death
Albert Charles Wollenberg Dwight D. Eisenhower 01958-05-19 May 19, 1958 01975-04-30 April 30, 1975 01981-04-19 April 19, 1981 death
Alfonso Joseph Zirpoli John F. Kennedy 01961-09-22 September 22, 1961 01975-09-30 September 30, 1975 01995-07-10 July 10, 1995 death

Magistrate judges

Magistrate Judge Appointed Ended service
Wayne Brazil -
Nandor Vadas July 2004

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d U.S. District Courts of California, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ a b c d e Willoughby Rodman, History of the Bench and Bar of Southern California (1909), p. 46.
  3. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Nominates-Edward-Milton-Chen-Dolly-Gee-and-Richard-Seeborg-to-Serve-on-the-District-Court-Bench/
  4. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on November 27, 1950, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 13, 1950, and received commission on December 21, 1950.
  5. ^ Recess appointment; the United States Senate later rejected the appointment.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 3, 1907, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1907, and received commission on December 17, 1907.

External links

See also


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