--- title: "John William Holcomb | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-william-holcomb" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # John William Holcomb U.S. District Court for the Central District of California · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California - State: California - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-16 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Appointed U.S. District Judge in 2020; currently sits in Santa Ana - Judge John W. Holcomb is a United States District Judge for the Central District of California, appointed by President Donald Trump and commissioned on September 18, 2020 - Associate at Irell & Manella (1994–1997) - Law clerk, Hon. Ronald Barliant, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1993-1994 - Holcomb served in the U.S. Navy from 1980–1989, including active duty as a lieutenant and Surface Warfare Officer aboard the USS New Jersey and with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. ### Education - Harvard Law School — J.D. (1993) - S.B. — Massachusetts Institute of Technology — 1984 ### Additional information - He succeeded Judge Dean D. Pregerson after Senate confirmation on September 15, 2020. - Private practice, Costa Mesa, California, 2019-2020 - Partner at Greenberg Gross (2019–2020). - Private practice, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, 2019 - Private practice, Irvine, California, 2002-2018 - Partner at Knobbe Martens (2002–2018), specializing in intellectual property litigation. - Private practice, Newport Beach, California, 1994-2001 - B.A. — Harvard Business School — 1993 - Born 1963 in Olean, New York. - Date of birth: 1963 - U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division (Santa Ana). - Judge Holcomb’s career reflects extensive experience in intellectual property, bankruptcy, and commercial litigation, combined with military and technical engineering backgrounds. - Birth place: Olean ## 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/) - [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) - [Federal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges](https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/judges.csv) - [Judge John William Holcomb](https://www.fjc.gov/node/8898346) - [Wikidata: John W. Holcomb](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q68019778) - [Judge John William Holcomb](https://www.fjc.gov/node/8898346) - [Wikidata: John W. Holcomb](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q68019778) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-william-holcomb", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-william-holcomb", "name": "John William Holcomb | KnowJudges", "description": "John William Holcomb, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 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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-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.