Why a federal court, and not a state court, hears your case
Suppose federal agents took you into custody in Los Angeles County, or a Los Angeles grand jury returned an indictment against you. Either way, a United States district court will hear the case, not a California state court. The reason is a short federal statute, 18 U.S.C. section 3231, which gives federal courts sole authority over federal crimes. You can read its exact words on our San Diego page.
That means state courts have no share in the case. A federal charge is prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office, decided before a federal district judge, and sentenced under federal law. For a map of the whole district, see our Central District of California page. For each stage from arrest to sentencing, see our federal criminal process hub.
One caution applies across this whole site. Any penalty listed is a statutory maximum or a guideline range, not a forecast for you. Every case turns on its own facts.
How the Western Division puts your hearing in Los Angeles
The Central District has three divisions, and Congress decided where each one sits. The statute covering the Western Division says:
"Western Division comprises the counties of Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura."
And it provides:
"Court for the Western Division shall be held at Los Angeles."
In plain terms, a case arising in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo County is heard in Los Angeles. The district's other two divisions meet elsewhere. The Eastern Division serves Riverside and San Bernardino counties, with court at Riverside, so those cases go to the courthouse covered on our Riverside page. The Southern Division serves Orange County, with court at Santa Ana, as described on our Santa Ana page. Look at the caption on your papers before you set out. Showing up at the wrong courthouse on hearing day is a problem you can avoid.
Two courthouses, a few blocks apart
You will find two federal courthouses in downtown Los Angeles. One is the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse, on West 1st Street at number 350 (Suite 4311). The other is the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse, on East Temple Street at number 255. Both have a Los Angeles, CA 90012 address. For either one, the court's contact number is (213) 894-1565.
Look in your paperwork for the building and the courtroom or suite number. When it is missing or confusing, phone the number listed above and ask. The two buildings are near each other, but each has separate security screening and elevators, and a wrong turn eats time you cannot recover.
Arriving at the courthouse on your court date
Treat the day as a trip to a federal building, not a routine errand. Carry a photo ID along with the full set of papers you were given: the summons, indictment or notice. Allow plenty of time for screening and for finding your courtroom. Weapons and any camera or recorder are restricted inside, so leave them at home. The court's locations page carries parking and transportation details, and it is worth reading the night before, since downtown street parking is a gamble. If you were arrested and then released with a hearing date, our page on federal arrest explains what to expect at that first appearance.
Who prosecutes a Los Angeles federal case
Prosecution and the court are two different things. The judge rules on motions, presides at trial and sets the sentence. The charges come from the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. That office covers seven counties: Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles. Nearly 20 million people live there, more than in any other federal judicial district in the country. The office enforces federal law through Civil, Criminal and National Security divisions, and the investigating agents usually report into the same district. This page leaves out the names of any lawyer, judge, prosecutor or client on purpose, because the office and the process are what matter.
First steps, and what follows
Federal cases move quickly at the start. The judge deals with release at the first appearance, and contested detention is governed by the standards on our detention hearings page. When the case goes forward by indictment, our indictment page explains that step. If it ends in a sentence, federal law governs it, as laid out on our federal sentencing page. Should the trial court err on the law, you appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the court Congress set up to hear California's appeals, because appeals courts review final rulings of the district courts. Appeals have firm deadlines counted from the judgment, so look at our federal appeals page early, not after time runs out.