---
title: "Barbara L. Major | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/barbara-l-major-california-us-magistrate"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Barbara L. Major

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern 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

- U.S. Magistrate Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, appointed by the district’s judges on January 5, 2004 to an eight‐year renewable term
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - Southern District of California, 1991–2003
- Associate at Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon, San Francisco (1988–1990)
- Law Clerk, U.S. District Court - Southern District of California, 1987–1988 (to J. Lawrence Irving)
- Law Clerk to Hon. J. Lawrence Irving, U.S. District Court for the S.D. of California (1987)

### Education


### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, S.D. California, 2012-present
- She has handled both criminal and civil matters in her chambers and has participated in public forums, such as the San Diego Federal Bar Association’s Virtual Courtroom Conversation in 2022, where she discussed her judicial path and magistrate jurisdiction FBA San Diego.
- Deputy Chief, Major Frauds Section (2002–2003)
- Chief, Computer Hacking & Intellectual Property Unit (2000–2002)
- Practitioner, Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon, 1988–1990
- J.D. — Univ. of California — 1987
- B.A. — Stanford Univ. — 1983
- Coordinator, Computer & Telecommunications Unit
- Coordinator, Child Exploitation & Obscenity Unit
- Phone: (619) 557‐7372
- Chambers: James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep U.S. Courthouse, 333 W. Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
- Judge Major’s appointment to the federal bench followed over a decade of prosecutorial service and legal practice.

## 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=96)
- [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=96)
- [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=96)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9109/barbara-l-major/)
- [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/9109/barbara-l-major/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Barbara Lynn Major](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9109/barbara-l-major/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Barbara Lynn Major](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 6 | 0 | Not available | 0 |
| 2y | 11 | 3 | Not available | 3 |
| 5y | 28 | 20 | 8.5 | 20 |
| 10y | 52 | 44 | 12.1 | 44 |

Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/


## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. 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.