United States District Court for the Northern District of California

Jurisdiction and Location - The United States District Court for the Northern District of California has jurisdiction over counties such as Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara. - The court has courtrooms in Eureka, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. - It is headquartered in San Francisco. - Cases from this district are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. - Major federal lawsuits involving defendants in East Asia and the high tech sector are often filed in this district. Types of Cases - The Northern District of California is known for handling cases related to patent law and intellectual property law. - It also deals with antitrust law, securities law, and technology law. - Cases in the semiconductor, telecommunications, and software industries are common. - Cybersecurity, internet law, and computer law are also part of the district's caseload. - The district is a hub for class actions and multi-district litigation. History - California was admitted as a state on September 9, 1850, and initially divided into two districts, the Northern and Southern. - The Act of August 31, 1852 made the Judge of the Northern District also the Judge of the Southern District. - The Southern District of California was abolished in 1866, creating a single district called the United States District Court for the District of California. - Twenty years later, the Southern District of California was re-created. - On March 18, 1966, the Eastern and Central Districts were created from portions of the Northern and Southern Districts. Former Judges - Ogden Hoffman Jr., William W. Morrow, and Adolphus Frederic St. Sure were judges in the Northern District of California. - Oliver Deveta Hamlin Jr., Sherrill Halbert, and William H. Orrick Jr. also served as judges. - Cecil F. Poole, Eugene F. Lynch, and John P. Vukasin Jr. were former judges in the district. - Charles A. Legge, D. Lowell Jensen, and Fern M. Smith were judges from the past. - Vaughn Walker, James Ware, and Barbara A. Caulfield also served as judges. Chief Judges and Seat Assignments - The office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. - To be chief, a judge must have been in active service for at least one year and be under the age of 65. - A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the qualified judges. - The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70. - The Northern District of California has multiple seats, with different judges serving in each seat over the years.