--- title: "Otis D. Wright II | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/otis-d-wright-ii" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Otis D. Wright II 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: 2026-08-16 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, C.D. California, 2007-present - He assumed office on April 16, 2007, after Senate confirmation, filling the vacancy left by Judge Gary L. Taylor. - Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, 2005-2007 - Deputy attorney general, State of California, 1980-1983 - Deputy Attorney General, California DOJ (1980–1983) ### Education - Southwestern Law School - California State University, Los Angeles ### Additional information - Nominated: January 9, 2007, by President George W. Bush. - Confirmed: March 15, 2007. - Commissioned: April 16, 2007. - Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 1983-2005 - Deputy sheriff, Los Angeles County, CA, 1969-1980 - U.S. Marine Corps active duty (1963–1966) and reserve (1966–1969). - Date of birth: 1944-01-01 - U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. - Judge Wright has presided over thousands of cases and authored multiple published opinions. - His judicial record includes significant rulings in civil rights, intellectual property, and federal statutory matters. - Judge Otis D. Wright II remains an active and influential member of the federal judiciary. - Birth place: Tuskegee, AL ## 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/3566/otis-d-wright-ii/) - [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/3566/otis-d-wright-ii/) - [Wikidata: Otis D. Wright II](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7108773) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3566/otis-d-wright-ii/) - [Wikidata: Otis D. Wright II](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7108773) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/otis-d-wright-ii", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/otis-d-wright-ii", "name": "Otis D. Wright II | KnowJudges", "description": "Otis D. Wright II, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-08", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/otis-d-wright-ii#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/otis-d-wright-ii#judge", "name": "Otis D. 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Wright II", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/otis-d-wright-ii" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 267 | 46 | 1.7 | 46 | | 2y | 726 | 334 | 2.2 | 334 | | 5y | 2124 | 1658 | 3.4 | 1658 | | 10y | 4923 | 4447 | 4.2 | 4447 | 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.