--- title: "Jill L. Burkhardt | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jill-l-burkhardt-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Jill L. Burkhardt U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern 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 - As of December 29, 2025, Judge Burkhardt serves as the Presiding Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California, a position she will hold for two years - Director of Community Outreach, U.S. Attorney's Office - Southern District of California, 2012–2014-03 - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - Southern District of California - Criminal Division, 1994–2014-03 ### Education - Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. from Harvard Law School, graduating Cum Laude. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, S.D. California, 2014-present - She brings over twelve years of judicial experience, having been appointed to the bench in March 2014 and now serving her second eight-year term. - Practitioner, Baker and McKenzie, 1988–1994 - J.D. — Harvard Univ. — 1988 - B.A. — Univ. of Minnesota Minneapolis — 1985 - Judge Burkhardt emphasizes continuous learning and professional growth, noting that the legal profession offers decades of opportunities to expand knowledge. - In this role, she oversees coordination among the Court’s Magistrate Judges, acts as a liaison to District Judges, and guides procedural initiatives to improve court efficiency. - She encourages lawyers to view every role as a building block toward long-term goals and stresses the importance of work-life balance and maintaining perspective on priorities. - Her early aspiration to become a judge was motivated by a desire to ensure disputes are resolved fairly and based on merit. - Before joining the bench, Judge Burkhardt was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of California, Criminal Division, and began her legal career as an associate at Baker & McKenzie. - Her career spans civil litigation, criminal prosecution, and federal judicial service, providing her with a broad perspective on legal practice. - Judge Burkhardt has specific individual rules and standing orders for her courtroom courtrules.app. - For example, courtesy copies are required only when requested, MSC statements are limited to 10 pages (excluding exhibits), and joint discovery statements are limited to 7 pages courtrules.app. - She requires certificates of service for filings and mandates that stipulated protective orders be filed as joint motions courtrules.app. - Parties may contact her chambers via letter through ECF as allowed by her rules courtrules.app. ## 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=96) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=96) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=96) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9102/jill-l-burkhardt/) - [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/9102/jill-l-burkhardt/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Jill Louise Burkhardt](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9102/jill-l-burkhardt/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Jill Louise Burkhardt](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/jill-l-burkhardt-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jill-l-burkhardt-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Jill L. 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Burkhardt", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jill-l-burkhardt-california-us-magistrate" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 12 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 18 | 3 | Not available | 3 | | 5y | 42 | 25 | 6.3 | 25 | | 10y | 71 | 54 | 11.2 | 54 | 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.