Honorable Hernán D. Vera
First Street Courthouse, 350 W. 1st Street, Courtroom 5B, 5th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90012
Pronouns: he/him/his
(Updated 4/8/24) All appearances shall be in person in Courtroom 5B.
Effective immediately, no request for remote appearance will be allowed for any hearing, motion, or conference. The only exception to this new rule is for scheduling conferences. Requests for leave to appear remotely for a scheduling conference must include a detailed declaration stating the good cause for why an in-person appearance cannot be made. Such requests must be made six (6) days before the hearing and should certify that counsel have met and conferred consistent with Local Rule 7-3.
- Click Zoom link
- Telephone: (669) 254-5252
- Webinar ID: 160 702 5910
- Passcode: 548858
Calendar:
- Civil motions are heard on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.
- Criminal motions are heard on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m.
- Unless otherwise notified, oral argument will be heard for all noticed motions.
Scheduling Motions: It is NOT necessary to reserve or clear a motion date in advance with the Courtroom Deputy. Please refer to the “Closed Motion Dates” section of this website to determine the hearing dates that have already been closed. For cases reassigned to Judge Vera from another courtroom, make sure to comply with the additional restrictions and deadlines discussed in the Reassignment Order dated June 23, 2023. If a motion is scheduled for a date that is closed or becomes unavailable, the Court will issue an order continuing the motion to a later date.
Discovery: All discovery-related disputes have been referred to and will be heard by an assigned Magistrate Judge. All discovery motions and proposed protective orders must be filed directly with that assigned judge. To ensure proper routing, the caption of all discovery-related documents must include the words, “DISCOVERY MATTER”. Please do not deliver any courtesy copies of discovery motions to the chambers of Judge Vera.
Rule 56 Motions: Rule 56 motions heard in this Court will be governed by different filing requirements and briefing schedules set forth in the Civil Standing Order attached below.
Settlement: When a motion is calendared or under submission, counsel are required to inform the Court promptly of any finalized or imminent settlement that may render the motion moot.
Civility: Civility and professionalism are required at all times. This includes all written submissions to the Court, all personal communications and interactions among counsel and parties in the litigation, and all conduct in the courtroom.
Tentative Rulings: The Court is not issuing tentative rulings at this time.
Counsel shall e-file all civil and criminal and civil filings pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(d)(3) and Local Rule 5-4. All non-signature items shall be e-filed in PDF format. All proposed signature items shall be e-filed as an attachment to the main document in PDF format. All proposed signature items shall be e-mailed to the chambers e-mail address at hdv_chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov in WORD format. ONLY proposed order signature items should be emailed to the chambers' e-mail address. Do not e-mail other associated documents, and do not use this e-mail address for communication with the Court or the Clerk.
Ex parte applications are solely for extraordinary relief and are rarely granted. See Mission Power Eng’g Co. v. Cont’l Cas. Co., 883 F. Supp. 488 (C.D. Cal. 1995). All ex parte applications must be sent in PDF version to hdv_chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov along with a WORD version of the proposed order. Both the e-mail to the Court and the application should advise whether opposing counsel will be filing an opposition. Ex parte applications that fail to conform to Local Rule 7-19, including a statement of opposing counsel’s position, will not be considered, except on a specific showing of good cause.
Counsel for the applicant must provide advance notice of the application by telephone and email to all other parties. In addition to the information required by Local Rule 7-19.1, the notice must advise the other parties of the anticipated deadline to oppose the application. The applicant must serve the application by facsimile, email, or personal service, even if electronic service is effected under Local Rule 5-3.2.1.
Oppositions to ex parte applications must be filed within 24 hours of the filing of the application, subject to Rule 6(a)(2). If an opposing party does not intend to oppose the ex parte application, counsel must inform the Courtroom Deputy Clerk by email as soon as possible.
It is the responsibility of counsel, in a civil case, to arrange for the services of an interpreter. The Interpreter's Office can be reached at (213) 894-4599.
For general information on how to order a transcript of any reported or digitally recorded proceeding, contact (213) 894-3015 or visit www.cacd.uscourts.gov/court-reporting-services/court-reporterrecorder-tr.... To determine the court reporter/recorder for a particular proceeding, visit www.cacd.uscourts.gov, Clerk Services, Court Reporting Services, Court Reporter Schedule and select "by Date". Once you have determined the correct court reporter/recorder for the desired proceeding, select "Court Reporter Phone and Email List" for contact information.
Public Counsel runs a free Federal Pro Se Clinic where pro se litigants can get information and guidance. The Clinic is located at the Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse, 255 East Temple Street, Los Angeles, California 90012. The Federal Pro Se Clinic in Los Angeles operates by appointment only. You may schedule an appointment either by calling the Clinic or by submitting an on-line request for services. You can call the Clinic at (213) 385-2977, ex. 270 or you can submit an on-line request by going to the following website: http://prose.cacd.uscourts.gov/los-angeles.
All requests from the media should be directed to the Court's Communication Specialist at (213) 894-7987. The Courtroom Deputy Clerk will not return calls from the media or answer questions from the media. The media are directed to check the Court's electronic record at www.cacd.uscourts.gov, Newsworthy, as well as the docket sheet on PACER for current information.