--- title: "Chi S Kim | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chi-s-kim-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Chi S Kim U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern 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. ## 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=91) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=91) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=91) - [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) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chi-s-kim-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chi-s-kim-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Chi S Kim | KnowJudges", "description": "Chi S Kim, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. 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Median disposition time was 2.4 months across 14 terminated cases. - Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/ ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 331 | 14 | 2.4 | 14 | | 2y | 470 | 73 | 2.3 | 73 | | 5y | 556 | 137 | 4.6 | 137 | | 10y | 558 | 139 | 4.7 | 139 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Biography ### Professional career - Chi Soo Kim is a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, appointed on March 29, 2024 to serve an eight‐year term, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman - Staff Attorney, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2007–2008) - U.S. Attorney’s Office (Eastern District of California) — Civil Division Chief, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Assistant U.S. Attorney ### Education - Georgetown University Law Center — J.D. (2004) - Princeton University — B.A. (1999) ### Additional information - Korean‐American judge appointed in 2024 - Teaching: Lawyering Process at UC Davis School of Law (2019–2020) and Legal Writing & Research at UC Law San Francisco (2009–2011) - Also a Ninth Circuit Vice President for the Federal Bar Association - Judge Kim had a 19‐year career in public service and private practice - Judge Kim is active in civic education, serving on the board of Operation Protect and Defend, the Justice Kennedy Learning Center Advisory Board, and the Open Doors to Federal Courts Committee ## 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.