--- title: "James V. Selna | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-v-selna" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # James V. Selna 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: senior - Last verified: 2026-08-16 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, C.D. California, 2003-present - Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Orange, 1998-2003 - Began his legal career at O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles as an associate in 1970, becoming a partner in 1978 and later transferring to the Newport Beach office in 1983 ### Education - Stanford University — J.D. (1970) - Stanford University — B.A. (1967) ### Additional information - He assumed senior status on March 3, 2020. - Nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by President George W. Bush on January 29, 2003, to fill the vacancy left by John Spencer Letts. - The Senate confirmed him unanimously on March 27, 2003. - In 1998, Selna was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the Orange County Superior Court, where he served until 2003. - Private practice, California, 1970-1998 - U.S. Army Reserve captain, 1967-1978 - Date of birth: 1945-01-01 - Selna has been active in the arts and community organizations, serving on the boards of the Orange County Museum of Art and Newport Harbor Art Museum, as well as the Orange County Business Committee for the Arts. - He has also been a guest speaker on topics including antitrust law, business practices, and trade secrets. - He specialized in business litigation - focusing on antitrust and trade secret cases, and held the role of an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. - Notably, he represented the NFL in the antitrust case regarding the Oakland Raiders’ move to Los Angeles. - Birth place: San Jose, CA ## 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://apps.cacd.uscourts.gov/Jps/) - [Official roster](https://apps.cacd.uscourts.gov/Jps/) - [apps.cacd.uscourts.gov judicial profile or roster](https://apps.cacd.uscourts.gov/Jps/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2903/james-v-selna/) - [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/2903/james-v-selna/) - [Wikidata: James V. Selna](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6144566) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2903/james-v-selna/) - [Wikidata: James V. Selna](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6144566) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-v-selna", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-v-selna", "name": "James V. Selna | KnowJudges", "description": "James V. Selna, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-v-selna#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-v-selna#judge", "name": "James V. 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Selna", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-v-selna" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 115 | 9 | Not available | 9 | | 2y | 315 | 130 | 2.4 | 130 | | 5y | 1041 | 713 | 3.7 | 713 | | 10y | 3450 | 3098 | 4.4 | 3098 | 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.