Honorable James V. Selna

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District Judge
​

Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse
411 West Fourth Street,
Courtroom 10C
Santa Ana, CA, 92701-4516

All hearings and trials are now being held IN PERSON in Courtroom 10C.  All
proceedings - including all motion hearings and status conferences - will be held in person in Courtroom 10C. 


Recording, copying, photographing and rebroadcasting of court proceedings is
prohibited by federal law. A violation of this prohibition may result in
sanctions, including suspension of your license to practice before this
court, referral to the state bar, denial of the right to appear by
video or telephonically at future proceedings, criminal prosecution,
contempt, denial of admission to future hearings, and any other
sanctions deemed necessary by the Court.

Zoom Webinar Information      
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  • Telephone: (669) 254-5252
  • Webinar ID: 160 148 6295
  • Passcode: 451640

When you sign in and add your screen name, you must use your full
name followed by “(P)” (for plaintiff(s)), “(D)” (for defendant(s)),
“(3P)” (for third-party plaintiff(s)), “(3D)” (for third-party
defendant(s)), or “CC” (for cross-claimant(s)).  Those participating as
members of the public or media are to use "O" (for observer(s)).

Law and Motion Schedule: 

​All hearings will be conducted IN PERSON in Courtroom 10C

CIVIL MOTION HEARINGS 

Current Procedures: 

The parties should expect that the Court will conduct hearings in person as usual.  However, there may be some cases where the Court would prefer to issue a tentative and then allow the parties to request a hearing.  Tentatives are generally posted no later than mid-afternoon on the  Friday prior to a Monday hearing.  If parties need to know earlier (e.g., in order to make travel plans), they should contact the Courtroom Deputy for an indication whether the Court intends to issue a tentative which defers the hearing and allows the parties to request a hearing under the Court’s current procedure.

Hearing Requests:

If a hearing is not set, the Court will follow its current practice of allowing the parties to request a hearing.  A hearing request is to be in a brief of not more than five pages filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day following the date for which the hearing was nominally set (e.g. 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday for a hearing nominally set for Monday.) The Court will then determine whether a hearing is necessary.  If no request is submitted, the matter will be submitted on the papers and the tentative ruling will become the order of the Court.

NEWLY FILED MOTIONS

The parties are required to follow the Local Rules regarding the noticing of motions on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. and the filing of oppositions and replies.

SCHEDULING CONFERENCES

A Joint Rule 26 Report with the Court's Exhibit A MUST be timely filed.  The Court will review the report and issue a Scheduling Conference Order.  If the Court needs further input, the Court will schedule a telephonic conference.

MANDATORY CHAMBERS COPIES

Civil Matters: All motions and related documents (oppositions, replies, exhibits); ex parte applications (excluding PHV Applications) and related documents (oppositions and exhibits); and ALL PRETRIAL DOCUMENTS

Criminal Matters: All motions and related documents (oppositions, replies exhibits); plea agreements and sentencing positions.

PRETRIAL CONFERENCES

All Civil Pretrial Conferences require in person attendance by all attorneys unless a request to appear via Zoom or telephonically is granted by the Court.


Judge's Procedures: 
  1. Civil motions are heard on: Mondays, Time: 1:30 p.m.
    Criminal motions are heard on: Mondays, Time: 9:00 a.m.
    (If Monday is a holiday, next motion date is the following Monday.)
    It is not necessary to clear a motion date with the court clerk prior to filing the motion. Counsel MUST comply with the Federal and Local Rules regarding service when selecting a date for the hearing on their motion. If the Court does not believe that oral argument will be helpful, the Court will advise the parties no later than the Friday before the hearing.   When filing a motion to amend, counsel shall file, as an exhibit to the motion, a "redline" version of the amended pleading showing all additions and deletions of material.    If a motion to dismiss is granted with leave to amend, counsel filing the amended pleading shall attach as an appendix, a "redline" version of the amended pleading showing all additions and deletions of material.  
  2. The Court entertains telephone appearances for hearings only in exceptional circumstances.
  3. All discovery motions are to be calendared before the magistrate judge.
  4. Tentative rulings may be issued. If issued, they will be available in Tentative Rulings section after Noon on the business day before the hearing and/or approximately 1/2 hour prior to the hearing in the courtroom. If all parties submit on the tentative ruling, please advise the Courtroom Deputy, and no appearance will be required.
  5. Mandatory Chambers Copies of the following e-filed documents shall be delivered to the mandatory chambers copy box on the 10th Floor or sent via overnight mail (no copies of redacted documents are required:
    Civil Matters: All motions and related documents (oppositions, replies, exhibits); ex parte applications (excluding PHV Applications) and related documents (oppositions and exhibits); and ALL PRETRIAL DOCUMENTS
    Criminal Matters: All motions and related documents and exhibits; plea agreements; and sentencing positions

     It is imperative that the mandatory chambers copies be delivered by noon following the date of filing as required by Local Rule 5-4.5. Failure to deliver timely mandatory chambers copies may result in a delay in hearing a motion or ordering the matter off calendar.  It is not necessary to send chambers copies of redacted documents.
    Mandatory chambers copies of Sealed Documents shall be delivered to the Clerk's Office Intake window, to be placed in the Court's internal mail box.    If the Mandatory Chambers Copy of a document is an inch or more thick, the filing party should place the Court's copy in a three ring binder (no blue backing is required) and not have the document bound at the top.  

  6. Ex Parte applications are for extraordinary relief only. Ex parte applications are considered on the papers and are rarely set for hearings. The Courtroom Deputy Clerk will contact all parties to set a hearing if the Court so instructs.   The moving party shall serve the opposing party by Email (this includes the CM/ECF System), FAX or hand service and shall notify the opposing party that any opposition must be filed not later than 24 hours after such service has been completed. If counsel do not intend to oppose the ex parte application, counsel must inform the courtroom deputy by e-mail (see above link) as soon as possible.
  7. To request a continuance of any scheduled court proceeding, counsel must make such request at least five days prior to the hearing date with a statement of good cause included in the request. The proposed order must reflect the specific dates requested.
  8. Stipulations. All stipulations shall be accompanied by a proposed order. The order shall include the parties' proposed dates.
  9. Judgments:  If a proposed judgment is endorsed by the opposing party, the Court will review and enter immediately.  In all other cases, the Court will hold the proposed judgment 7 days for any objections.  As with all proposed orders, the proposed judgment must be emailed to chambers in Word or Word Perfect format.
  10. Counsel are not to initiate telephone calls to Judge Selna’s chambers, law clerk or secretary.
  11. Inquiries regarding the status of a motion, stipulation or proposed order are not available by phone. Please follow Local Rule 11-4.5.
  12. If there is a calendar conflict, counsel are to inform the courtroom deputy prior to the date of the conflict.
  13. Counsel should contact the courtroom deputy concerning procedures for bringing electronic equipment , extraordinary exhibits, or more than 3 boxes of exhibits into the courtroom (an order for the loading dock is required for more than 3 boxes).
  14. For general information on how to order a transcript of any reported or digitally recorded proceeding, please contact 213-894-3015 or visit the court website (www.cacd.uscourts.gov) section referring to Court Reporter/Recorder Transcripts. If you require an estimate of cost for the preparation of a transcript, contact the court reporter/recorder for the desired proceeding.
    To determine the court reporter/recorder for a particular proceeding, go to the Court Reporter Schedule web page and click on View by Date. Once you've determined the correct court reporter/recorder for the desired session, click on Court Reporter Phone and Email List for contact information.
  15. Questions regarding law clerk/extern positions should be directed to the courtroom deputy at JVS_chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov.
  16. Trial preparation:

    Court hours: The Court will, generally, try short cases (less than 10 days) from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Longer cases will be tried from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with no lunch break. The final determination of trial hours will be made at the final pretrial conference. Please note that trial on the first day will commence at 8:30 a.m. 

    1. Exhibit preparation:
      Under 10 Total Volumes of Exhibits - Counsel are to prepare exhibits for trial by placing them in three ring binders that are indexed by exhibit number with tabs or dividers on the right side and indicating on the spine of the binder the exhibit numbers contained and the volume number. The exhibits must be numbered in accordance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 16, 26 and the Local Rules. Counsel shall have the original set (with the exhibit tags affixed to the upper or lower right hand corner) and a bench copy on the exhibits, three (3) copies of the exhibit list and three (3) copies of the witness list to the Courtroom Deputy Clerk on the first day of trial.
      10 or More Total Volumes of Exhibits - Counsel are to prepare one (1) full set of the exhibits in three ring binders that are indexed by exhibit number with tabs or dividers on the right side and indicating on the spine of the binder the exhibit numbers contained and the volume number. Each exhibit shall have an exhibit tag placed in the upper or lower right hand corner of the first page of the exhibit. (These are the exhibits that will go to the jury during deliberations). Exhibits for the Judge & Witnesses: There should be a book for each witness that contains only the exhibits needed for that specific witness with dividers on the right side. This book should be presented to the witness when the witness is called. A copy of this book should be provided to the Judge at the time the witness is called. The Court requires counsel to submit the full set of exhibits, three (3) copies of the exhibit list and three (3) copies of the witness list to the Courtroom Deputy Clerk on the first day of trial.
    2. Jury instructions: Jury Instructions are due seven days prior to trial. A single packet, prepared as outlined in the Jury Trial Order found in the .pdf below, shall be submitted.
    3. Verdict forms: The plaintiff shall submit the verdict form prior to the close of the plaintiff’s case in chief.
  17. Counsel in civil cases are to obtain the services of an interpreter, if one is needed. Counsel may contact the Interpreter’s Office for references.
  18. The Court does not permit special appearances. Counsel of record shall appear at all court proceedings.
  19. Judge Selna's AO-10, Financial Disclosure Report, may be reviewed at the Judicial Watch website. The reports for 2003 through 2010 are presently online.