New CAED

    The longstanding judicial emergency in the Eastern District of California has been greatly exacerbated by historic numbers of new immigration cases being filed.  Our federal judicial district currently has one of the largest volumes of immigration habeas petitions in the nation (currently second in the nation after the Western District of Texas), with approximately 2,400 new cases filed in a three-month time period in 2026, with the majority of these cases being accompanied by requests for emergency relief. This represents a 400% increase from immigration habeas cases filed in all of 2025, and over a 13,000% increase from immigration habeas cases filed in all of 2024.  The impact of the unprecedented volume of new immigration cases on our district, which was already under a longstanding judicial crisis, is far-reaching and includes significant delays in the resolution of other federal cases filed in this district.

    The Eastern District of California has only 6 active district judges. Other federal judicial districts with comparable immigration habeas petitions as the Eastern District of California have double or more than double the number of active district judgeships (e.g., the Western District of Texas has 13 authorized district judgeships).  Our court remains dedicated to access to justice for all and the doors to our courthouse always remain open to litigants.

Pro Se Help Days - Friday, April 10, 2026. United States Federal Courthouse, 501 I Street, 1st Floor, Sacramento, CA. Come talk to McGeorge and UC Davis law students and professors, as well as local practitioners, for pro bono assistance with your case or a case you anticipate filing in the Eastern District. 

Eastern District of California Plans to Launch Opt-Out Civil Consent for Magistrate Judges on February 1, 2026
 

The Eastern District of California is pleased to announce it will launch an Opt-Out Civil Consent to Magistrate Judges Program on February 1, 2026.

The Department of Homeland Security has determined that federal courthouses remain exempt from the provisions of the REAL ID Act in order to protect the constitutional right of defendants and other members of the public’s access to court proceedings.

State-issued identification cards are and will continue to be an acceptable form of identification for those seeking to access federal courthouses.

With a worsening shortage of Article III judges to resolve critical copyright, trademark, patent, and contract disputes, judges across the nation are faced with increasingly complex litigation and growing caseloads. For countless Americans seeking justice in federal civil matters, the wait can seem endless.

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