---
title: "George H. King | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/george-h-king-1778"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# George H. King

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, 1995-present
- In 1987, King became a United States magistrate judge for the Central District of California
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Central District of California, 1975-1979
- George Herbert King is a former United States District Judge and Chief Judge of the Central District of California
- George Herbert King is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California

### Education

- University of Southern California Gould School of Law — J.D. (1974)
- University of California, Los Angeles — B.A. (1971)

### Additional information

- Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995, he served until retiring in 2017 after more than two decades on the bench, including four years as Chief Judge.
- Previously a U.S. Magistrate Judge and Assistant U.S. Attorney, he is best known for his 2015 ruling in Rupa Marya v.
- U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1987-1995
- Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 1979-1986
- Hearing examiner, Los Angeles California Police Commission, 1980-1982
- Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 1974-1975
- Born October 12, 1951.
- Date of birth: 1951-01-01
- Warner/Chappell Music Inc. that invalidated copyright claims to the song Happy Birthday.
- Since retirement, he has held a position as a mediator, arbitrator, and case evaluator at JAMS
- handling complex civil, intellectual property, and constitutional law disputes.
- Birth place: Shanghai, China

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1778/george-h-king/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1778/george-h-king/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Central District of California current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1778/george-h-king/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1778/george-h-king/)
- [FJC Education relational dataset](https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/education.csv)

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## 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.