--- title: "Douglas F. Mccormick | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/douglas-f-mccormick-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Douglas F. Mccormick 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. ## Biography ### Professional career - Deputy Chief, U.S. Attorney's Office - Central District of California, 2007–2013 - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - Central District of California, 2001–2013 - Law Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1996–1997 (to Charles E. Wiggins) - Law Clerk, U.S. District Court - Central District of California, 1995–1996 (to Gary L. Taylor) - Douglas F. McCormick combines extensive experience as a federal prosecutor, civil litigator, and law clerk with his current role as a magistrate judge - In this role, he gained extensive experience in federal criminal law, which informs his work as a magistrate judge - Began his legal career as a law clerk to two federal judges: the Honorable Gary L. Taylor of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the Honorable Charles E. Wiggins of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals United States Courts ### Education - Undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine in 1991 and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 1995. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, C.D. California, 2013-present - First appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge on August 23, 2013, and was reappointed for an eight-year term beginning August 23, 2021 United States Courts. - Practitioner, Latham & Watkins, 1996–2001 - J.D. — Univ. of California, Los Angeles — 1995 - B.A. — Univ. of California, Irvine — 1991 - As a magistrate judge, McCormick handles a variety of responsibilities, including pretrial hearings, discovery disputes, settlement conferences, and misdemeanor trials. - Following his clerkships, he held a position as a civil litigator at Latham & Watkins in Costa Mesa before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office. - His official duty station is Santa Ana, California, where he presides over civil cases by consent, preliminary criminal proceedings, misdemeanor trials, discovery hearings, settlement conferences, and other pretrial matters United States Courts. - His career reflects a strong background in both civil and criminal law, and he continues to serve the Central District of California with a focus on pretrial and civil proceedings, as well as misdemeanor trials. - Before his judicial appointment, McCormick served for nearly 13 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Central District of California United States Courts. - He also oversees civil motions and informal telephonic conferences for discovery disputes, following the Central District of California’s local rules. - His chambers provide guidance for attorneys regarding filing procedures, page limits, and e-filing requirements. ## 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=93) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=93) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=93) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9056/douglas-f-mccormick/) - [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/9056/douglas-f-mccormick/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Douglas Fredrick McCormick](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9056/douglas-f-mccormick/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Douglas Fredrick McCormick](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/douglas-f-mccormick-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/douglas-f-mccormick-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Douglas F. 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[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.