History / Courts

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

77 judges have served since Feb 27, 1851. Now: Noël Wise DEumi Kim Lee DRita Faye Lin DPatrick Casey Pitts DAraceli Martinez-Olguin DTrina Lynn Thompson DJacqueline Scott Corley DHaywood Stirling Gilliam, Jr. DVince Girdhari Chhabria DJames Donato DBeth Labson Freeman DJon Steven Tigar DYvonne Gonzalez Rogers DRichard G. Seeborg D.

Judges
77
43 D · 32 R · 1 W · 1 N(
Longest tenure
30 years
Lloyd Hudson Burke
Current
22 months
Noël Wise, since Dec 19, 2024
history/court/district-court-for-the-northern-district-of-californiaEvery holder, newest first
+77
186018801900192019401960198020002020Ogden Hoffman, Jr. · 1851-02-27 – 1866-07-27 · WhigOgden Hoffman, Jr. · 1886-08-05 – 1891-08-09 · None (reassignment)William W. Morrow · 1892-01-11 – 1897-06-01 · RepublicanJohn Jefferson DeHaven · 1897-06-08 – 1913-01-26 · RepublicanMaurice Timothy Dooling · 1913-07-28 – 1924-11-04 · DemocratAdolphus Frederic St. Sure · 1925-02-23 – 1947-06-30 · RepublicanHerbert Wilson Erskine · 1949-03-01 – 1951-03-18 · DemocratMonroe Mark Friedman · 1952-07-17 – 1953-08-03 · DemocratOliver Deveta Hamlin, Jr. · 1953-08-03 – 1958-04-16 · RepublicanAlbert Charles Wollenberg · 1958-05-19 – 1975-04-30 · RepublicanCecil F. Poole · 1976-07-23 – 1980-03-31 · RepublicanRobert Peter Aguilar · 1980-06-18 – 1996-04-15 · DemocratMartin J. Jenkins · 1997-11-12 – 2008-04-03 · DemocratRichard G. Seeborg · 2010-01-04 – present · DemocratWilliam Cary Van Fleet · 1907-12-17 – 1923-09-03 · RepublicanFrank Henry Kerrigan · 1924-01-28 – 1935-02-09 · RepublicanMichael Joseph Roche · 1935-08-24 – 1958-03-01 · DemocratLloyd Hudson Burke · 1958-07-21 – 1988-03-15 · RepublicanFern M. Smith · 1988-07-27 – 2003-05-15 · RepublicanLucy Haeran Koh · 2010-06-09 – 2021-12-15 · DemocratJacqueline Scott Corley · 2022-03-30 – present · DemocratJohn Slater Partridge · 1923-03-03 – 1926-05-20 · RepublicanHarold Louderback · 1928-04-17 – 1941-12-11 · RepublicanLouis Earl Goodman · 1942-12-24 – 1961-09-15 · DemocratThomas Jamison MacBride · 1961-09-22 – 1966-09-18 · DemocratRobert Francis Peckham · 1966-11-03 – 1988-11-11 · DemocratVaughn R. Walker · 1989-11-27 – 2011-02-28 · RepublicanEdward John Davila · 2011-03-03 – 2024-12-11 · DemocratNoël Wise · 2024-12-19 – present · DemocratMartin Ignatius Welsh · 1939-07-14 – 1947-01-01 · DemocratDal Millington Lemmon · 1947-02-07 – 1954-05-04 · DemocratSherrill Halbert · 1954-08-26 – 1966-09-18 · RepublicanGerald Sanford Levin · 1969-07-14 – 1971-06-05 · RepublicanSpencer Mortimer Williams · 1971-07-29 – 1987-02-24 · RepublicanJames Ware · 1990-10-01 – 2012-08-31 · RepublicanJon Steven Tigar · 2013-01-18 – present · DemocratGeorge Bernard Harris · 1946-07-09 – 1970-07-31 · DemocratRobert Howard Schnacke · 1970-10-15 – 1983-12-31 · RepublicanCharles A. Legge · 1984-09-18 – 2001-06-30 · RepublicanJeffrey Steven White · 2002-11-15 – 2021-02-01 · RepublicanTrina Lynn Thompson · 2022-08-05 – present · DemocratEdward Preston Murphy · 1950-12-21 – 1958-12-13 · DemocratWilliam Thomas Sweigert · 1959-09-21 – 1973-11-30 · RepublicanWilliam Horsley Orrick, Jr. · 1974-07-08 – 1985-10-31 · RepublicanDelwen Lowell Jensen · 1986-06-25 – 1997-06-27 · RepublicanCharles R. Breyer · 1997-11-12 – 2011-12-31 · DemocratWilliam Horsley Orrick, III · 2013-05-16 – 2023-05-20 · DemocratPatrick Casey Pitts · 2023-07-07 – present · DemocratOliver Jesse Carter · 1950-12-21 – 1976-04-07 · DemocratWilliam Austin Ingram · 1976-07-23 – 1990-11-15 · RepublicanSaundra Brown Armstrong · 1991-06-18 – 2012-03-23 · RepublicanJames Donato · 2014-02-26 – present · DemocratAlfonso Joseph Zirpoli · 1961-09-22 – 1975-09-30 · DemocratWilliam W Schwarzer · 1976-07-23 – 1991-04-30 · RepublicanBarbara A. Caulfield · 1991-11-05 – 1994-09-16 · RepublicanMaxine M. Chesney · 1995-05-10 – 2009-06-30 · DemocratEdward Milton Chen · 2011-05-12 – 2022-05-17 · DemocratAraceli Martinez-Olguin · 2023-03-03 – present · DemocratStanley Alexander Weigel · 1962-08-15 – 1982-10-09 · DemocratJohn P. Vukasin, Jr. · 1983-09-20 – 1993-09-20 · RepublicanClaudia Ann Wilken · 1993-11-22 – 2014-12-17 · DemocratHaywood Stirling Gilliam, Jr. · 2014-12-19 – present · DemocratSamuel Conti · 1970-10-16 – 1987-11-01 · RepublicanRonald M. Whyte · 1992-02-10 – 2009-03-02 · RepublicanYvonne Gonzalez Rogers · 2011-11-21 – present · DemocratCharles Byron Renfrew · 1971-12-09 – 1980-02-27 · RepublicanThelton Eugene Henderson · 1980-06-30 – 1998-11-28 · DemocratWilliam Haskell Alsup · 1999-08-17 – 2021-01-21 · DemocratRita Faye Lin · 2023-10-04 – present · DemocratMarilyn Hall Patel · 1980-06-30 – 2009-10-30 · DemocratBeth Labson Freeman · 2014-02-26 – present · DemocratEugene F. Lynch · 1982-03-09 – 1997-03-14 · RepublicanJeremy D. Fogel · 1998-03-17 – 2014-12-31 · DemocratEumi Kim Lee · 2024-05-07 – present · DemocratSusan Yvonne Illston · 1995-05-26 – 2013-07-01 · DemocratVince Girdhari Chhabria · 2014-03-07 – present · DemocratPhyllis Jean Hamilton · 2000-05-25 – 2021-02-01 · Democrat
Noël Wise D
Dec 19, 2024 – present · 22 months · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 50–47
Eumi Kim Lee D
May 7, 2024 – present · 2.4 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 50–49
Rita Faye Lin D
Oct 4, 2023 – present · 3 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 52–45
Patrick Casey Pitts D
Jul 7, 2023 – present · 3.3 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 53–46
Araceli Martinez-Olguin D
Mar 3, 2023 – present · 3.6 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 49–48
Trina Lynn Thompson D
Aug 5, 2022 – present · 4.2 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 51–44
Jacqueline Scott Corley D
Mar 30, 2022 – present · 4.5 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 63–36
Haywood Stirling Gilliam, Jr. D
Dec 19, 2014 – present · 12 years · appointed by Barack Obama
Vince Girdhari Chhabria D
Mar 7, 2014 – present · 13 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 58–41
James Donato D
Feb 26, 2014 – present · 13 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 90–5
Beth Labson Freeman D
Feb 26, 2014 – present · 13 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 91–7
William Horsley Orrick, III D
May 16, 2013 – May 20, 2023 · 10 years · appointed by Barack Obama · senior status May 20, 2023 · confirmed 56–41
Jon Steven Tigar D
Jan 18, 2013 – present · 14 years · appointed by Barack Obama
Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers D
Nov 21, 2011 – present · 15 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 89–6
Edward Milton Chen D
May 12, 2011 – May 17, 2022 · 11 years · appointed by Barack Obama · senior status May 17, 2022 · confirmed 56–42
Edward John Davila D
Mar 3, 2011 – Dec 11, 2024 · 14 years · appointed by Barack Obama · senior status Dec 11, 2024 · confirmed 93–0
Lucy Haeran Koh D
Jun 9, 2010 – Dec 15, 2021 · 12 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 90–0
Richard G. Seeborg D
Jan 4, 2010 – present · 17 years · appointed by Barack Obama
Jeffrey Steven White R
Nov 15, 2002 – Feb 1, 2021 · 18 years · appointed by George W. Bush · senior status Feb 1, 2021
Phyllis Jean Hamilton D
May 25, 2000 – Feb 1, 2021 · 21 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Feb 1, 2021
William Haskell Alsup D
Aug 17, 1999 – Jan 21, 2021 · 21 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Jan 21, 2021
Jeremy D. Fogel D
Mar 17, 1998 – Dec 31, 2014 · 17 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Dec 31, 2014 · confirmed 90–0
Martin J. Jenkins D
Nov 12, 1997 – Apr 3, 2008 · 10 years · appointed by William J. Clinton
Charles R. Breyer D
Nov 12, 1997 – Dec 31, 2011 · 14 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Dec 31, 2011
Susan Yvonne Illston D
May 26, 1995 – Jul 1, 2013 · 18 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Jul 1, 2013
Maxine M. Chesney D
May 10, 1995 – Jun 30, 2009 · 14 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Jun 30, 2009
Claudia Ann Wilken D
Nov 22, 1993 – Dec 17, 2014 · 21 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Dec 17, 2014
Ronald M. Whyte R
Feb 10, 1992 – Mar 2, 2009 · 17 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush · senior status Mar 2, 2009
Barbara A. Caulfield R
Nov 5, 1991 – Sep 16, 1994 · 2.9 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush
Saundra Brown Armstrong R
Jun 18, 1991 – Mar 23, 2012 · 21 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush · senior status Mar 23, 2012
James Ware R
Oct 1, 1990 – Aug 31, 2012 · 22 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush
Vaughn R. Walker R
Nov 27, 1989 – Feb 28, 2011 · 21 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush
Fern M. Smith R
Jul 27, 1988 – May 15, 2003 · 15 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status May 15, 2003
Delwen Lowell Jensen R
Jun 25, 1986 – Jun 27, 1997 · 11 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status Jun 27, 1997
Charles A. Legge R
Sep 18, 1984 – Jun 30, 2001 · 17 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan
John P. Vukasin, Jr. R
Sep 20, 1983 – Sep 20, 1993 · 10 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan
Eugene F. Lynch R
Mar 9, 1982 – Mar 14, 1997 · 15 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status Mar 14, 1997
Thelton Eugene Henderson D
Jun 30, 1980 – Nov 28, 1998 · 18 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Nov 28, 1998
Marilyn Hall Patel D
Jun 30, 1980 – Oct 30, 2009 · 29 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Oct 30, 2009
Robert Peter Aguilar D
Jun 18, 1980 – Apr 15, 1996 · 16 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Apr 15, 1996
Cecil F. Poole R
Jul 23, 1976 – Mar 31, 1980 · 3.7 years · appointed by Gerald Ford
William Austin Ingram R
Jul 23, 1976 – Nov 15, 1990 · 14 years · appointed by Gerald Ford · senior status Nov 15, 1990
William W Schwarzer R
Jul 23, 1976 – Apr 30, 1991 · 15 years · appointed by Gerald Ford · senior status Apr 30, 1991
William Horsley Orrick, Jr. R
Jul 8, 1974 – Oct 31, 1985 · 11 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon · senior status Oct 31, 1985
Charles Byron Renfrew R
Dec 9, 1971 – Feb 27, 1980 · 8.2 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon
Spencer Mortimer Williams R
Jul 29, 1971 – Feb 24, 1987 · 16 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon · senior status Feb 24, 1987
Samuel Conti R
Oct 16, 1970 – Nov 1, 1987 · 17 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon · senior status Nov 1, 1987
Robert Howard Schnacke R
Oct 15, 1970 – Dec 31, 1983 · 13 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon · senior status Dec 31, 1983
Gerald Sanford Levin R
Jul 14, 1969 – Jun 5, 1971 · 23 months · appointed by Richard M. Nixon
Robert Francis Peckham D
Nov 3, 1966 – Nov 11, 1988 · 22 years · appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson · senior status Nov 11, 1988
Stanley Alexander Weigel D
Aug 15, 1962 – Oct 9, 1982 · 20 years · appointed by John F. Kennedy · senior status Oct 9, 1982
Thomas Jamison MacBride D
Sep 22, 1961 – Sep 18, 1966 · 5 years · appointed by John F. Kennedy
Alfonso Joseph Zirpoli D
Sep 22, 1961 – Sep 30, 1975 · 14 years · appointed by John F. Kennedy · senior status Sep 30, 1975
William Thomas Sweigert R
Sep 21, 1959 – Nov 30, 1973 · 14 years · appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower · senior status Nov 30, 1973
Lloyd Hudson Burke R
Jul 21, 1958 – Mar 15, 1988 · 30 years · appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower
Albert Charles Wollenberg R
May 19, 1958 – Apr 30, 1975 · 17 years · appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower · senior status Apr 30, 1975
Sherrill Halbert R
Aug 26, 1954 – Sep 18, 1966 · 12 years · appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower
Oliver Deveta Hamlin, Jr. R
Aug 3, 1953 – Apr 16, 1958 · 4.7 years · appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower
Monroe Mark Friedman D
Jul 17, 1952 – Aug 3, 1953 · 13 months · appointed by Harry S Truman
Edward Preston Murphy D
Dec 21, 1950 – Dec 13, 1958 · 8 years · appointed by Harry S Truman
Oliver Jesse Carter D
Dec 21, 1950 – Apr 7, 1976 · 25 years · appointed by Harry S Truman · senior status Apr 7, 1976
Herbert Wilson Erskine D
Mar 1, 1949 – Mar 18, 1951 · 2 years · appointed by Harry S Truman
Dal Millington Lemmon D
Feb 7, 1947 – May 4, 1954 · 7.2 years · appointed by Harry S Truman
George Bernard Harris D
Jul 9, 1946 – Jul 31, 1970 · 24 years · appointed by Harry S Truman · senior status Jul 31, 1970
Louis Earl Goodman D
Dec 24, 1942 – Sep 15, 1961 · 19 years · appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Martin Ignatius Welsh D
Jul 14, 1939 – Jan 1, 1947 · 7.5 years · appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt · senior status Jan 1, 1947
Michael Joseph Roche D
Aug 24, 1935 – Mar 1, 1958 · 23 years · appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt · senior status Mar 1, 1958
Harold Louderback R
Apr 17, 1928 – Dec 11, 1941 · 14 years · appointed by Calvin Coolidge
Adolphus Frederic St. Sure R
Feb 23, 1925 – Jun 30, 1947 · 22 years · appointed by Calvin Coolidge · senior status Jun 30, 1947
Frank Henry Kerrigan R
Jan 28, 1924 – Feb 9, 1935 · 11 years · appointed by Calvin Coolidge
John Slater Partridge R
Mar 3, 1923 – May 20, 1926 · 3.2 years · appointed by Warren G. Harding
Maurice Timothy Dooling D
Jul 28, 1913 – Nov 4, 1924 · 11 years · appointed by Woodrow Wilson
William Cary Van Fleet R
Dec 17, 1907 – Sep 3, 1923 · 16 years · appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
John Jefferson DeHaven R
Jun 8, 1897 – Jan 26, 1913 · 16 years · appointed by William McKinley
William W. Morrow R
Jan 11, 1892 – Jun 1, 1897 · 5.4 years · appointed by Benjamin Harrison
Ogden Hoffman, Jr. N(
Aug 5, 1886 – Aug 9, 1891 · 5 years · appointed by None (reassignment)
Ogden Hoffman, Jr. W
Feb 27, 1851 – Jul 27, 1866 · 15 years · appointed by Millard Fillmore

Dates are from the Federal Judicial Center (commission to senior status or departure). Consecutive terms of one person are merged.