Edward J. Schwartz Courthouse San Diego, California
The
United States District Court for the Southern District of California (in
case citations,
S.D. Cal.) 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.
Cases from the Southern District of California are appealed to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (except for
patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the
Tucker Act, which are appealed to the
Federal Circuit).
U.S. District Courthouse El Centro, California
History
California was admitted as a state on September 9, 1850, and was initially divided into two districts, the
Northern and the Southern, by Act of Congress approved September 28, 1850, 9 Stat. 521.
[, Federal Judicial Center.] The boundary line was at the 37th parallel of North Latitude.
[Willoughby Rodman, History of the Bench and Bar of Southern California (1909), p. 46.] The creating act provided that:
In addition to the ordinary jurisdiction and powers of a District Court of the United States, with which the
Southern District Court of New York has been invested, the said Courts be and hereby are invested respectively within the limits of its district with the exercise of concurrent jurisdiction and power in all civil cases now exercised by the Circuit Courts of the United States; and that in all cases where said Courts shall exercise such jurisdiction, appeals may be taken from the judgments, orders or decrees of said Courts to the
Supreme Court of the United States.
The Act of August 31, 1852 made the Judge of the Northern District be Judge of the Southern District as well until otherwise provided, by 10 Stat. 76, 84,
[ effectively creating a single District in all but name until an Act of January 18, 1854 provided for the appointment of a Judge for the Southern District.][ The Southern District of California was abolished and the State made to constitute a single district - the United States District Court for the District of California - by Act of Congress approved July 27, 1866, 14 Stat. 300.]
Twenty years later, on August 5, 1886, Congress re-created the Southern District of California by 24 Stat. 308.[ Erskine M. Ross was appointed Judge of the new district and served until his promotion to the Circuit Judgeship, when he was succeeded by Olin Wellborn.][ On March 18, 1966, the Eastern and Central Districts were created from portions of the Northern and Southern Districts by 80 Stat. 75.]Future Courthouse
Proposed Federal Courthouse San Diego, California
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 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 of space.Current Judges
- As of October 25, 2009, a vacancy exists in the District due to Judge M. James Lorenz's decision to assume senior status. No replacement nomination is pending at this time.
Former Judges
