U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
California · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Ninth Circuit.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Ninth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Judges in active service
- Richard G. Seeborg
- Yvonne G. Rogers
- Jon S. Tigar
- Vince G. Chhabria
- James Donato
- Beth L. Freeman
- Haywood S. Gilliam Jr.
- Jacqueline S. Corley
- Trina L. Thompson
- Rita F. Lin
- Araceli Martinez-Olguin
- Patrick C. Pitts
- Eumi K. Lee
- Noël Wise
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
- Thelton E. Henderson
- Saundra B. Armstrong
- Claudia A. Wilken
- Maxine M. Chesney
- Susan Y. Illston
- Charles R. Breyer
- William H. Alsup
- Phyllis J. Hamilton
- Jeffrey S. White
- Edward M. Chen
- Edward J. Davila
- William H. Orrick III
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
Susan Yvonne Illston (current) · Vince Girdhari Chhabria (current) · Maxine M. Chesney (current) · Richard G. Seeborg (current) · Jeffrey Steven White (current) · Araceli Martinez-Olguin (current) · Thelton Eugene Henderson (current) · William Haskell Alsup (current) · Jacqueline Scott Corley (current) · Charles R. Breyer (current) · William Horsley Orrick III (current) · Eumi Kim Lee (current) · Saundra Brown Armstrong (current) · Jon Steven Tigar (current) · James Donato (current) · Edward Milton Chen (current) · Rita Faye Lin (current) · Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (current) · Edward John Davila (current) · Noël Wise (current) · Patrick Casey Pitts (current) · Claudia Ann Wilken (current) · Haywood Stirling Gilliam Jr. (current) · Phyllis Jean Hamilton (current) · Trina Lynn Thompson (current) · Beth Labson Freeman (current) · Samuel Conti · Ogden Hoffman Jr.
Former judges
Magistrate judges
Appointed by the judges of this district to renewable 8-year terms, not nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. They handle pretrial matters, misdemeanors, and many civil cases by consent.
| Magistrate judge | Years |
|---|---|
| Alex G. Tse | 2020–present |
| Virginia K. Demarchi | 2018–present |
| Thomas S. Hixson | 2018–present |
| Robert M. Illman | 2017–present |
| Susan G. Van Keulen | 2017–present |
| Sallie Kim | 2015–present |
| Kandis A. Westmore | 2012–present |
| Jacquelyn Scott Corley | 2011–present |
| Nathanael M. Cousins | 2011–present |
| Laurel D. Beeler | 2010–present |
| Donna M. Ryu | 2002–present |
| Joseph Spero | 1999–present |
| Elizabeth D. Laporte | 1998–present |
| Bernard Zimmerman | 1995–present |
| Paul Singh Grewal | 2010–2016 |
| Nandor J Vadas | 2009–2017 |
| Howard R Lloyd | 2002–2018 |
| Maria-Elena James | 1994–2018 |
Bankruptcy court
Practicing before this court
The rules that govern a case here (the N.D. California’s local rules, standing orders, and each judge’s own procedures) live on the court’s official site. Direct links:
Links to the court’s own site, verified 2026-07-05. Rules change. Confirm against the court’s current posting before filing.
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1851. This court is also served by magistrate judges, listed above, whom the district’s own judges appoint. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data). Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC); magistrates 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying.