Expiration of Continuity of Operations Plan

The United States District Court for the Central District of California’s Continuity of Operations (“COOP”) Plan expires at the close of January 29, 2021.  Limited operations will resume on Monday, February 1, 2021, as follows:

Access to the Courthouses

• All Courthouses of the Central District of California will be closed to the public except as set forth below.
• All federal Pro Se Clinics in the District are closed.

The Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Riverside Clinics are providing remote assistance via telephone and/or email.  Please contact them for more information:
Los Angeles: (213) 385-2977, Ext. 270 or tinyurl.com/fedproseclinic
Santa Ana: (714) 541-1010, Ext. 222
Riverside: (951) 778-9878 or [email protected]

Court Hearings

• All appearances in civil cases will be by telephone or video conference. 
• Hearings in any criminal matter may proceed in court when the defendant does not consent to appear by telephone or video conference.  Members of the public will have access to such proceedings with a limit of 10 people present in the courtroom or in an overflow courtroom at one time at the discretion of the assigned judge.
• Criminal bench duty will continue to take place in each division by telephone or video conference with the defendant’s consent and in court absent consent. 
• For members of the press or public who wish to listen in on a hearing, refer to the assigned judge’s procedures and schedules web page or calendar for login-in or call-in information.  If login-in or call-in information is not available or to listen to a criminal bench duty matter held in the Los Angeles duty courtroom, submit a Hearing Access Request Form at least four hours prior to the hearing.

Jury Trials

• Until further notice, no jury trials will be conducted in civil cases.  However, individual judges, at their discretion, may offer bench trials by video conference in lieu of postponement.
• Until further notice, no jury trials will be conducted in criminal cases.

Grand Jury Proceedings

• Grand jury proceedings will be permitted to resume.

Filing Information

• The intake sections in each courthouse will be closed to the public.  To post a bond or submit an emergency, time-sensitive filing such as a temporary restraining order, call the following telephone numbers:

Los Angeles – (213) 894-8288
Riverside – (951) 328-4450
Santa Ana – (714) 338-3958 or (714) 338-4760

• All criminal duty matters filed by the United States Attorney’s Office and handled by district judges shall be filed electronically.
• All criminal document duty matters handled by magistrate judges shall be filed electronically.
• For all other intake and records questions, call the following telephone numbers:

Los Angeles Civil Intake – (213) 894-3535
Los Angeles Criminal Intake – (213) 894-8288
Riverside Civil and Criminal Intake – (951) 328-4450
Santa Ana Civil Intake – (714) 338-2886
Santa Ana Criminal Intake – (714) 338-4786

• The court’s CM/ECF system is available 24/7 for electronic filing of documents.
• Unrepresented litigants who cannot electronically file their documents in the CM/ECF system may mail their filings to the Clerk of Court at 255 E. Temple Street, Suite TS-134, Los Angeles, CA 90012-3332 or submit documents for filing through the court’s Electronic Document Submission System (EDSS).
• Attorneys who are required to manually file documents pursuant to the local rules must mail their filings to the Clerk of Court at the above address.
• Non-paper physical exhibits or other exhibits exempted from electronically filing shall be sent via U.S. Mail or other commercial delivery to the Clerk of Court at the above address.

Mandatory Chambers Copies

• Until further notice, all district judges and magistrate judges do not require mandatory chambers copies during the pandemic.
• Any judge can require chambers copies in a particular case if desired. The chambers copies shall be mailed to the judge via Fed Ex. Chambers copies cannot be hand-delivered to the courthouse.

Naturalization Ceremonies

• Until further notice, the Court will not schedule or conduct any naturalization ceremonies.  During this temporary suspension of the Court’s naturalization ceremonies, the Court grants USCIS authority to perform administrative naturalization ceremonies.

The Court continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and will provide updates concerning the Court’s operations as adjustments are made.

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Kiry K. Gray
District Court Executive/Clerk of Court
January 27, 2021