California Federal Court Structure at a Glance
Court Locations in California — 28 U.S.C. § 84
The district structure of California is set by statute, quoted below from 28 U.S.C. § 84:
“California is divided into four judicial districts to be known as the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California.”
Court locations under the statute:
Court for the Northern District shall be held at Eureka, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose.
Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Bakersfield, Fresno, Redding, and Sacramento.
Court for the Eastern Division shall be held at a suitable site in the city of Riverside, the city of San Bernardino, or not more than 5 miles from the boundary of either such city.
Court for the Western Division shall be held at Los Angeles.
Court for the Southern Division shall be held at Santa Ana.
Court for the Southern District shall be held at San Diego.
Court for the Central District of California on such date.
Federal White-Collar Cases in California
Federal fraud offenses committed in California are prosecuted in the district where the offense occurred. Jurisdiction is statutory: “The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.” (18 U.S.C. § 3231).
Circuit assignment is statutory as well. 28 U.S.C. § 41 provides:
“Ninth Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Hawaii.”
The Ninth Circuit hears appeals from the district courts in California. The district courts listed above maintain public websites with local rules, judge information, and case-location details; the federal court finder at uscourts.gov also covers California.
The principal federal fraud statutes — mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), wire fraud (§ 1343), and bank fraud (§ 1344) — apply in every federal district. Bank fraud carries a statutory maximum of 30 years: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.” (18 U.S.C. § 1344).
This page is part of the White-Collar Case Law Research Desk reference library. Additional research notes are published as new court decisions are issued.
Primary sources
- 28 U.S.C. § 84 — California (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “California is divided into four judicial districts to be known as the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California.”
- 28 U.S.C. § 41 — Number and composition of circuits (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “Ninth Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Hawaii.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 3231 — District courts (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 1344 — Bank fraud (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.”
White-Collar Federal Defense Reference by State
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