United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
About This Court
Established in 1966, the Eastern District of California covers the eastern portion of the state, encompassing approximately 81,000 square miles. The district includes the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and portions of the Mojave Desert, spanning from the Oregon border in the north to the Kern County line in the south and east to the Nevada and Arizona borders.
The district is headquartered in Sacramento and maintains courthouses in Fresno and Bakersfield. It sits within the Ninth Circuit and serves a geographically vast and diverse region with a significant agricultural economy, numerous federal land holdings, and large state and federal prison facilities.
The Eastern District of California is one of the busiest federal districts in the country, consistently carrying one of the highest per-judge caseloads in the nation. The presence of multiple state prisons within its boundaries generates a substantial volume of civil rights and habeas corpus litigation filed by incarcerated individuals.
Proceedings are governed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and Federal Rules of Evidence, along with the court's local rules. Bankruptcy cases are handled by the companion Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California. Appeals go to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Divisions
Sacramento Division (Sacramento), Fresno Division (Fresno), Bakersfield Division (Bakersfield)
Caseload
The court handles an exceptionally high volume of prisoner civil rights actions and habeas corpus petitions, reflecting the large number of state and federal correctional institutions within the district. Agricultural, environmental, water rights, and public lands litigation also represent significant portions of the docket.
Bar Admission
Attorneys must be admitted to practice before the Eastern District of California by applying to the court's bar, which requires active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California. Admission to the Ninth Circuit or another federal district court does not automatically confer admission to practice in this district.
Clerk's Office
Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse, 501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 930-4000
Active Judges 13
| Name | Appointed By | Confirmed | Law School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garland Burrell | George H.W. Bush | 1992 | California Western School of Law |
| Daniel Calabretta | Joseph R. Biden | 2023 | University of Chicago Law School |
| Dena Coggins | Joseph R. Biden | 2024 | University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law |
| Dale Drozd | Barack Obama | 2015 | University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law |
| Morrison England | George W. Bush | 2002 | University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law |
| Anthony Ishii | William J. Clinton | 1997 | University of California, Berkeley, School of Law |
| John Mendez | George W. Bush | 2008 | Harvard Law School |
| Kimberly Mueller | Barack Obama | 2010 | Stanford Law School |
| Troy Nunley | Barack Obama | 2013 | University of California Hastings College of the Law (now UC College of the Law, San Francisco) |
| Lawrence O'Neill | George W. Bush | 2007 | University of California Hastings College of the Law (now UC College of the Law, San Francisco) |
| Kirk Sherriff | Joseph R. Biden | 2024 | Harvard Law School |
| William Shubb | George H.W. Bush | 1990 | University of California, Berkeley, School of Law |
| Jennifer Thurston | Joseph R. Biden | 2021 | California Pacific School of Law |
Local Rules
The Local Rules of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, which supplement the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. See the court's official website for the authoritative text.