Guides to federal judges and court records
Short answers to the questions people ask before a hearing. Every guide lists its sources.
- California county courts: find your judge
California has 58 superior courts, one per county. How to find your court and judge, get tentative rulings under Rule 3.1308, and ask for a different judge.
- Can you ask a federal judge to step aside?
A federal judge must step aside when impartiality might reasonably be questioned or in listed cases like a financial stake. How 28 U.S.C. 455 and 144 work.
- Federal vs state judges: how they are chosen
Federal judges are nominated, confirmed and serve during good behavior. State judges are elected, appointed or both. How the two systems differ, with California.
- How to read a federal case number
A district court case number like 2:25-cv-01234-ABC encodes the office, year, case type, sequence and judge. Here is how to decode it and find the docket.
- How to research a federal judge before your case
Find a judge's rules, background, docket history and financial disclosures from official and free sources. A step-by-step guide with links.
- What judicial ratings mean, and which ones exist
Federal nominees get ABA ratings, some states run official judge evaluations, and private polls vary. Here is what each measures and how to read it.
General information from public sources, not legal advice. How the data is gathered.