--- title: "Dean D. Pregerson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dean-d-pregerson-2620" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Dean D. Pregerson U.S. District Court for the Central District of California · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California - State: California - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, C.D. California, 1996-present - Parole hearing officer, California Department of Corrections, 1977-present - Began his career as a Parole Hearing Officer with the California Department of Corrections in 1977 - His father, Harry Pregerson, held the role of a federal judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ### Education - UC Davis School of Law in — J.D. (1976) - University of California, Los Angeles in — B.A. (1972) - University of California, Davis, School of Law ### Additional information - Vice president and general counsel, The Torrance Company, CA, 1985-present - Private practice, Agana, GU, 1982-present - Private practice, Napa, CA, 1982-present - Private practice, Ventura, CA, 1978-present - He assumed senior status on January 28, 2016, and retired on June 1, 2025. - On January 26, 1996, Pregerson was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, filling the seat vacated by A. Wallace Tashima. - received his commission on August 1, 1996. - Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 1986-1996 - Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 1983-1985 - Assistant public defender, Agana, GU, 1978-1981 - From 1978 to 1981, he held the role of an Assistant Public Defender in Guam, joining the first class of public defenders in the modern Guam Public Defender Service Corporation. - Dean Douglas Pregerson was born on January 28, 1951, in Los Angeles, California, into a Jewish American family. - Date of birth: 1951-01-01 - After retiring, Pregerson joined JAMS in Los Angeles as a mediator, arbitrator, and neutral evaluator. - Recognized for his empathy, patience, and pragmatic approach, often resolving complex, high-stakes disputes collaboratively. - Cases involving concealed stun belts on prisoners and the I-710 Freeway completion also drew attention during his judicial career. - His mediation work spans class actions, employment disputes, and multi-party environmental cases. - He then entered private practice in Ventura, California, specializing in civil litigation, and held roles including. - During his nearly 29-year tenure, Pregerson presided over thousands of civil cases, approximately 80 jury trials, and sat by designation on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for 150 appeals, authoring 11 published appellate opinions. - He handled high-profile cases, including rulings on immigration detainee medical care, entertainment industry disputes, and civil rights matters. - Birth place: Los Angeles, CA ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2620/dean-d-pregerson/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2620/dean-d-pregerson/) - [U.S. District Court for the Central District of California current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2620/dean-d-pregerson/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2620/dean-d-pregerson/) - [Pregerson, Dean D. | Federal Judicial Center](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/pregerson-dean-d) - [Wikidata: Dean D. Pregerson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5246109) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dean-d-pregerson-2620", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dean-d-pregerson-2620", "name": "Dean D. Pregerson | KnowJudges", "description": "Dean D. Pregerson, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dean-d-pregerson-2620#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dean-d-pregerson-2620#judge", "name": "Dean D. 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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-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.