--- title: "Alka Sagar | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alka-sagar-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Alka Sagar U.S. District Court for the Central District of California · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California - State: California - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Appointed as a federal magistrate judge on August 21, 2013, filling the vacancy left by the elevation of Judge Fernando M. Olguin to district judge - Deputy Chief, U.S. Attorney's Office - Central District of California - Major Crimes Section, 2001–2013 - Prior to her appointment, she served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for 26 years, including roles as deputy chief of the Major Frauds Section (2001–2013) and the Major Crimes Section (1991–2001). - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - Central District of California, 1987–2013 - Judge Pro Tem, Superior Court of California - Los Angeles County, 2004–2006 - She also held the role of a judge pro tem for the Los Angeles County Superior Court for two years starting in 2004 - Deputy Chief, U.S. Attorney's Office - Central District of California - Major Frauds Section, 1991–2001 ### Education - Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UCLA in 1981 and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 1984. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, C.D. California, 2013-present - Began her career there as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1987, prosecuting complex fraud, money laundering, and criminal tax cases. - Practitioner, Solish, Jordan & Weiner, 1986–1986 - Practitioner, Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon, 1984–1986 - J.D. — Univ. of California, Los Angeles — 1984 - B.A. — Univ. of California, Los Angeles — 1981 - Birth place: Uganda ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=93) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=93) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=93) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9063/alka-sagar/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9063/alka-sagar/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Alka Sagar](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9063/alka-sagar/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Alka Sagar](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alka-sagar-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/alka-sagar-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Alka Sagar | KnowJudges", "description": "Alka Sagar, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.