--- title: "Diana M Kwok | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diana-m-kwok-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Diana M Kwok U.S. District Court for the Central District of California · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Central 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=94) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=94) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=94) - [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/diana-m-kwok-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diana-m-kwok-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Diana M Kwok | KnowJudges", "description": "Diana M Kwok, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 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Kwok is a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California, sworn in on March 23, 2026, with a career spanning federal prosecution, SEC enforcement, private litigation, and judicial clerkships - United States Courts UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA DIANA M. KWOK APPOINTED AS UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA t of California announces the appointment of Diana M. Kwok as a United States Magis... ezel.ai Diana M. Kwok — Individual Practices & Rulings - Ezel Diana M. Kwok became a U.S. magistrate judge for the Central District of California in March 2026 and sits in Los Angeles - Private Practice McKool Smith (2025–2026) — commercial litigation and white‐collar defense - Sidley Austin LLP (2021–2023) — commercial litigation, white‐collar defense, and active pro bono work; served as a CJA Panel Attorney - Ronald S.W. Lew (deceased), U.S. District Judge, C.D. Cal ### Education - Biology, California State University, Los Angeles — B.S. (2001) ### Additional information - U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Sworn in: March 23, 2026 Assignment: Western Division, Los Angeles Predecessor: Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth Handles a docket heavily composed of 28 U.S.C. § 2241 habeas corpus petitions filed by noncitizens detained in Southern California ICE facilities - Professional and Community Involvement Los Angeles County Bar Association Outstanding Jurist Committee Asian Americans Advancing Justice California State Bar Litigation Section, Federal Courts Committee CASA (Conviction and Sentence Alternatives) Program, C.D. Cal ## 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.