--- title: "Claudia Ann Wilken | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/claudia-ann-wilken" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Claudia Ann Wilken U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California - State: California - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-08-16 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Chief Judge of the Northern District of California (2012–2014) - Judge, District Court, N.D. California, 1993-2014 - U.S. District Judge (1993–2014), appointed by President Clinton on October 7, 1993, confirmed by the Senate on November 20, 1993, and commissioned November 22, 1993 - Professor, New College School of Law, 1980-1985 - Adjunct professor, University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1978-1984 - Began her legal career as a staff attorney for the Federal Public Defender’s Office in the Northern District of California (1975–1978), followed by private practice in Berkeley and academic roles at UC Berkeley and New College School of Law - As a senior judge, Wilken continues to hear cases in the Northern District of California, with proceedings often conducted remotely ### Education ### Additional information - Senior Judge since December 17, 2014 - In 2024, she received the Complex Litigation Ethics Conference Judge Award. - Wilken has served on the Judicial Conference of the United States (2016–2019). - Senior U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, known for landmark rulings in NCAA antitrust cases and other high-profile litigation. - U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 1983-1993 - Private practice, Berkeley, CA, 1978-1984 - Born August 17, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Wilken obtained a B.A. from Stanford University (1971) and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 1975. - Date of birth: 1949-01-01 - Birth place: Minneapolis, MN ## 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 ### technology walkthrough Scope: courtwide The Northern District of California publishes guidance advising counsel to fully test their equipment and schedule a courtroom visit to test it before the proceeding. Evidence excerpt: The court highly recommends that counsel be familiar their equipment and fully test prior to using anything in the courtroom. ... schedule a visit in the courtroom to test everything before the proceeding. [Courtroom Technology](https://cand.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### specialized evidence software Scope: courtwide For e-evidence requiring specialized software, the Northern District of California publishes a process for at least two business days' advance notice through the Courtroom Deputy and approval by the judge and Court IT. Evidence excerpt: at least two (2) business days advance notice, counsel may request via the Courtroom Deputy that the specialized software be loaded by counsel prior to use of the system. If the judge and the court’s IT Department approve... [Courtroom Technology](https://cand.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### 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.cand.uscourts.gov/judges/) - [Official roster](https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/judges/) - [cand.uscourts.gov judicial profile or roster](https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/judges/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3468/claudia-ann-wilken/) - [Courtroom Technology](https://cand.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology) - [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/3468/claudia-ann-wilken/) - [Wikidata: Claudia Ann Wilken](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5129124) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3468/claudia-ann-wilken/) - [Wikidata: Claudia Ann Wilken](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5129124) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/claudia-ann-wilken", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/claudia-ann-wilken", "name": "Claudia Ann Wilken | KnowJudges", "description": "Claudia Ann Wilken, U.S. District Court for the Northern 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.