# United States District Court for the Northern District of 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. Cases from the Northern District of California are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Because it covers San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the Northern District of California has become the presumptive destination for major federal lawsuits (such as large class actions and multi-district litigation) involving "Big Tech" defendants. 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).

## 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. The boundary line was at the 37th parallel of North Latitude. 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, 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. 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.
Twenty years later, on August 5, 1886, Congress re-created the Southern District of California by 24 Stat. 308. 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. On March 18, 1966, the Eastern and Central Districts were created from portions of the Northern and Southern Districts by 80 Stat. 75.

## Current judges

As of December 19, 2024:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | 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 |
| 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 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 76 | District Judge | Noël Wise | San Jose | 1968 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 38 | Senior Judge | Thelton Henderson | inactive | 1933 | 1980–1998 | 1990–1997 | 1998–present | Carter |
| 47 | Senior Judge | Saundra Brown Armstrong | inactive | 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 |
| 61 | Senior Judge | Edward Davila | San Jose | 1952 | 2011–2024 | — | 2024–present | Obama |
| 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 |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Ogden Hoffman Jr. | CA | 1822–1891 | 1851–1866 1886–1891 | — | — | Fillmore Operation of law | reassignment to D. Cal. death |
| 2 | William W. Morrow | CA | 1843–1929 | 1891–1897 | — | — | 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 | — | — | 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 | — | — | 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. |
* ↑ From 1852 to 1854, Judge Hoffman was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of California.
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of California
* ↑ 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
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 3, 1907, confirmed by the Senate on December 17, 1907, and received commission on December 17, 1907
* ↑ Recess appointment; the Senate later rejected the appointment

## 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

Seat 1 :
| Seat established on September 28, 1850 by 9 Stat. 521 ||
| Hoffman Jr. | 1851–1866 |
| Seat made concurrent with Southern District on August 31, 1852 by 10 Stat. 76, 84 ||
| Seat reassigned solely to Northern District on January 18, 1854 by 10 Stat. 265 ||
| Seat reassigned to District of California on July 27, 1866 by 14 Stat. 300 ||
| Seat reassigned to Northern District on August 5, 1886 by 24 Stat. 308 ||
| Hoffman Jr. | 1886–1891 |
| Morrow | 1891–1897 |
| DeHaven | 1897–1913 |
| Dooling | 1913–1924 |
| St. Sure | 1925–1947 |
| Erskine | 1949–1951 |
| Friedman | 1952–1953 |
| Hamlin Jr. | 1953–1958 |
| Burke | 1958–1988 |
| Seat abolished in 1988 (temporary judgeship expired) ||
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on March 2, 1907 by 34 Stat. 1253 ||||
| Van Fleet | 1907–1923 |
| Kerrigan | 1924–1935 |
| Roche | 1935–1958 |
| Wollenberg | 1958–1975 |
| Schwarzer | 1976–1991 |
| Caulfield | 1991–1994 |
| Illston | 1995–2013 |
| Chhabria | 2014–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary) ||||
| Partridge | 1923–1926 |
| Seat made permanent on March 3, 1927 by 44 Stat. 1372 ||||
| Louderback | 1928–1941 |
| Goodman | 1942–1961 |
| Weigel | 1962–1982 |
| Vukasin Jr. | 1983–1993 |
| Chesney | 1995–2009 |
| Seeborg | 2010–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on May 31, 1938 by 52 Stat. 584, 585 ||
| Welsh | 1939–1947 |
| Lemmon | 1947–1954 |
| Halbert | 1954–1966 |
| Seat reassigned to Eastern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on June 15, 1946 by 60 Stat. 260 ||||
| Harris | 1946–1970 |
| Schnacke | 1970–1983 |
| Legge | 1984–2001 |
| White | 2002–2021 |
| Martínez-Olguín | 2023–present |
Seat 6 :
| Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493 ||||
| Carter | 1950–1976 |
| Poole | 1976–1980 |
| Henderson | 1980–1998 |
| Alsup | 1999–2021 |
| Corley | 2022–present |
Seat 7 :
| Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493 ||||
| Murphy | 1950–1958 |
| Sweigert | 1959–1973 |
| W.H. Orrick Jr. | 1974–1985 |
| Jensen | 1986–1997 |
| Breyer | 1997–2011 |
| W.H. Orrick III | 2013–2023 |
| Lee | 2024–present |
Seat 8 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||
| MacBride | 1961–1966 |
| Seat reassigned to Eastern District on September 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||
Seat 9 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Zirpoli | 1961–1975 |
| Ingram | 1976–1990 |
| Armstrong | 1991–2012 |
| Tigar | 2013–present |
Seat 10 :
| Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||||
| Peckham | 1966–1988 |
| Ware | 1990–2012 |
| Donato | 2014–present |
Seat 11 :
| Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||||
| Levin | 1969–1971 |
| Renfrew | 1971–1980 |
| Lynch | 1982–1997 |
| Jenkins | 1997–2008 |
| Chen | 2011–2022 |
| Lin | 2023–present |
Seat 12 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||
| Conti | 1970–1987 |
| Smith | 1988–2003 |
| Seat abolished on May 15, 2003 (temporary judgeship expired) ||
Seat 13 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Williams | 1971–1987 |
| Walker | 1989–2011 |
| Gonzalez Rogers | 2011–present |
Seat 14 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||
| Aguilar | 1980–1996 |
| Fogel | 1998–2014 |
| Seat abolished on December 31, 2014 (temporary judgeship expired) ||
Seat 15 :
| Seat established on September 18, 1979 pursuant to 71 Stat. 586 (temporary) ||||
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 1 on March 15, 1988 ||||
| Patel | 1980–2009 |
| Davila | 2011–2024 |
| Wise | 2024–present |
Seat 16 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Whyte | 1992–2009 |
| Koh | 2010–2021 |
| Pitts | 2023–present |
Seat 17 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Wilken | 1993–2014 |
| Gilliam Jr. | 2014–present |
Seat 18 :
| Seat established on February 9, 2000 pursuant to 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary) ||||
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 12 on May 15, 2003 ||||
| Hamilton | 2000–2021 |
| Thompson | 2022–present |
Seat 19 :
| Seat established on October 3, 2011 pursuant to 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary) ||||
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 14 on December 31, 2014 ||||
| Freeman | 2014–present |

## United States attorney

The United States Attorney for the Northern District of California represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of March 21, 2023 the United States attorney is Ismail Ramsey.
* Calhoun Benham 1850-53
* Samuel Williams Inge 1853-56
* William Blanding 1856-57
* Peter della Torre 1857-60
* Calhoun Benham 1860-61
* William H. Sharp 1861-64
* Delos Lake 1864-69
* Frank M. Pixley 1869
* Lorenzo D. Latimer 1869-73
* Walter Van Dyke 1873-76
* John M. Coghlan 1876-78
* Phillip Teare 1878-83
* Samuel G. Hilborn 1883-86
* John T. Carey 1886-90
* Charles A. Garter 1890-94
* Samuel Knight 1894-95
* Henry S. Foote 1895-99
* Frank L. Coombs 1899-1901
* Marshall B. Woodworth 1901-05
* Robert T. Devlin 1905-12
* John L. McNab 1912-13
* B. L. McKinley 1913
* John W. Preston 1913-18
* Mrs. A. A. Adams 1918-20
* Frank M. Silva 1920-21
* J. T. Williams 1921-24
* Sterling Carr 1924-25
* George J. Hatfield 1925-33
* I. M. Peckham 1933
* Harry H. McPike 1933-37
* Frank J. Hennessy 1937-51
* Chauncey F. Tramutolo 1951
* Lloyd H. Burke 1953-58
* Robert H. Schnacke 1958-59
* Lynn J. Gillard 1959-60
* Laurence E. Dayton 1960-61
* Cecil F. Poole 1961-69
* James L. Browning, Jr. 1969-77
* G. William Hunter 1977-81
* Rodney H. Hamblen 1981
* Joseph P. Russoniello 1981-90
* William T. McGivern 1990-92
* John A. Mendez 1992-93
* Michael J. Yamaguchi 1993-98
* Robert S. Mueller 1998-2001
* Kevin V. Ryan 2002-2007
* Scott Schools 2007-2008
* Joseph P. Russoniello 2008-2010
* Melinda Haag 2010-2016
* David L. Anderson 2019-2021
* Stephanie Hinds (2021–2023)
* Ismail Ramsey 2023-present