--- title: "Gary S. Austin | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gary-s-austin-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Gary S. Austin 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 - Superior Court Judge, Superior Court of California - Fresno County, 1988–2007 - Judge, U. S. District Court, 1988-2007 - Municipal Court Judge, Consolidated Fresno Judicial District, 1986–1988 - Trial Judge, U. S. District Court, 1986-1988 - Senior Deputy District Attorney and Lead Attorney, Career Criminal Unit, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, 1984–1986 - Deputy District Attorney, Fresno County, California, 1977–1984 - Staff Attorney, Federal Public Defender's Office - Eastern District of California, 1977–1977 - Law Clerk, U.S. District Court - Eastern District of California, 1976–1977 (to M.D. Crocker) ### Education - San Joaquin College of Law — J.D. (1976) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. California, 2007-present - B.A. — California State Univ. — 1972 ## 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/9071/gary-s-austin/) - [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/9071/gary-s-austin/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Gary Stephen Austin](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9071/gary-s-austin/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Gary Stephen Austin](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/gary-s-austin-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gary-s-austin-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Gary S. 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Austin", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gary-s-austin-california-us-magistrate" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 88 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 153 | 19 | 0.2 | 19 | | 5y | 331 | 129 | 5.2 | 129 | | 10y | 596 | 390 | 11.3 | 390 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## 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.