United States District Court for the Southern District of California

The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties in California: Imperial and San Diego. In terms of filed indictments, it is one of the busiest criminal districts in the United States. [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cas/history/index.html] Cases from the Southern District of California are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Current District Judges

*Chief Judge Irma E. Gonzalez
*Judge Roger T. Benitez
*Judge Larry Alan Burns
*Judge William Q. Hayes
*Judge John A. Houston
*Judge Marilyn L. Huff
*Judge Napoleon A. Jones Jr.
*Judge M. James Lorenz
*Judge Jeffrey T. Miller
*Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz
*Judge Dana M. Sabraw
*Judge Janis L. Sammartino
*Judge Thomas J. Whelan

enior Judges

The following judges have taken senior status in the southern district of California
*Judge Rudi M. Brewster
*Judge William B. Enright
*Judge Gordon Thompson
*Judge Howard Turrentine

Former Judges

*Judge Judith N. Keep
*Judge John S. Rhoades

Future Courthouse

On August 25, 2006, Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California hosted a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to recognize elected officials who helped obtain funding for a new federal courthouse in downtown San Diego. The event was held on the future site of the new courthouse, a 2 1/4 acre parcel of land west of the existing Jacob Weinberger U.S. Courthouse. The site was formerly occupied by an aging residential hotel, which was brought down by implosion earlier this year. The parcel has been cleared in preparation for construction, which is scheduled to begin next summer. If all goes as planned, the new courthouse will be completed in fall 2010. The new courthouse will stand 16 stories tall with about convert|380000|sqft|m2 of space. It will house 14 courtrooms and judicial chambers for 20 judges, including resident judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The courthouse also will provide offices for the district clerk, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Pretrial Services. Also planned are a ground level community plaza and mural garden with a combined convert|36000|sqft|m2 of space. [http://www.casd.uscourts.gov/index.php?page=new-federal-courthouse]

U.S. Attorney's Office and Federal Defenders

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. Carol Lam was appointed on September 4, 2002 as the U.S. Attorney for the district. She led the corruption prosecution of former Republican congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Lam announced her resignation in January 2007 as critics charged the George W. Bush administration with forcing out a number of U.S. attorneys for partisan political reasons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/18/AR2007011801880.html] [http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011707D.shtml] Ms. Lam was succeeded by Karen Peckham Hewitt, who was appointed as the United States Attorney on February 16, 2007. [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cas/history/index.html]

Federal Defenders of San Diego acts as the community defender organization, which provides indigent defense for the Southern District of California.

External links

* [http://www.casd.uscourts.gov/ United States District Court for the Southern District of California Official Website]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cas/ United States Attorney for the Southern District of California Official Website]