--- title: "Elizabeth D. Laporte | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-d-laporte-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Elizabeth D. Laporte U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California - State: California - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: recalled - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of California from 2013 to 2015 JAMS - U.S. Magistrate Judge, Northern District of California — Appointed April 4, 1998, and serving for over two decades - Retired U.S. federal magistrate judge and current mediator, arbitrator, and court‐appointed neutral with extensive experience in complex civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution ### Education ### Additional information - Since 2019, Laporte has been a mediator, arbitrator, special master/referee, and neutral evaluator with JAMS JAMS. - Magistrate, District Court, N.D. California, 1998-present - Retired from the federal bench in October 2019. - Conducted hundreds of settlement conferences and resolved numerous discovery disputes JAMS. - She has resolved high‐stakes disputes in technology, software, and pharmaceuticals, known for her meticulous preparation, legal insight, and solutions‐oriented approach JAMS. - Managed one of the nation’s largest civil caseloads, presiding over cases in patent, trademark, copyright, business, class action, employment, insurance, environmental, antitrust, and civil rights matters JAMS. ## 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=91) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=91) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=91) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9092/elizabeth-d-laporte/) - [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/9092/elizabeth-d-laporte/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9092/elizabeth-d-laporte/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-d-laporte-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-d-laporte-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Elizabeth 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.