--- title: "Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-valenzuela-dixon" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon U.S. District Court for the Central District of California · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California - State: California - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-16 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - American judge serving on the United States District Court for the Central District of California since December 16, 2024 - Judge, State Bar Court of California, 2016-2024; supervising judge, 2020-2022 - Criminal Justice Act supervising attorney, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 2011-2016 - 2006–2011: National Vice President & Director of Litigation, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) - Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Los Angeles, California, 2006-2011; western regional counsel, 2006; national vice president and director of litigation, 2006-2011 - 2000–2006: Assistant U.S. Attorney, Central District of California; prosecuted federal crimes including public corruption and government fraud - Trial attorney, Voting Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1998-2000 - 1998–2000: Trial Attorney, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C ### Education - University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law — J.D. (1995) - University of Arizona — B.A. (1991) ### Additional information - Predecessor: Judge Philip S. Gutierrez, who retired October 22, 2024 - Judicial commission: December 16, 2024 - Commission date: 2024-12-16 - Senate confirmation: December 10, 2024, by a 49–47 vote - Special assistant, Vice Chair Cruz Reynoso, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1995-1998 - 1995–1998: Special Assistant, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Los Angeles - Appointed by: President Joe Biden - As a U.S. District Judge, Dixon presides over federal cases in the Central District of California, including Los Angeles. - The court’s local rules require pre-filing “meet and confer” discussions for most motions, with exceptions for certain urgent or pro se cases. ## 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://apps.cacd.uscourts.gov/Jps/) - [Official roster](https://apps.cacd.uscourts.gov/Jps/) - [apps.cacd.uscourts.gov judicial profile or roster](https://apps.cacd.uscourts.gov/Jps/) - [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) - [Judge Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761908) - [Wikidata: Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131422351) - [Judge Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761908) - [Wikidata: Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131422351) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-valenzuela-dixon", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-valenzuela-dixon", "name": "Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon | KnowJudges", "description": "Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon, 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.