--- title: "Stephanie Christensen | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephanie-christensen-california-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Stephanie Christensen U.S. District Court for the Central District of California · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Central 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. ## 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=94) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=94) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=94) - [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) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephanie-christensen-california-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephanie-christensen-california-us-magistrate", "name": "Stephanie Christensen | KnowJudges", "description": "Stephanie Christensen, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 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Median disposition time was 0.7 months across 24 terminated cases. - Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/ ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 77 | 24 | 0.7 | 24 | | 2y | 171 | 73 | 2.8 | 73 | | 5y | 279 | 176 | 6.3 | 176 | | 10y | 280 | 177 | 6.4 | 177 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Biography ### Professional career - Stephanie S. Christensen is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California, sworn in on July 5, 2023, with a career rooted in federal prosecution, cybercrime enforcement, and executive leadership at the U.S. Attorney’s Office - United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California (approx. 15 years) Roles included : Acting United States Attorney (2022) – led nearly 600 personnel and oversaw all federal civil, criminal, tax, and national security litigation - UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA ct of California announces the appointment of Stephanie S. Christensen as a United States Magistrate Judge ### Education - UCLA School of Law, Order of the Coif; member of the Program in Public Interest Law and Policy — J.D. ### Additional information - United States Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Sworn in: July 5, 2023 Assignment: Western Division, Los Angeles Predecessor: Magistrate Judge John E. McDermott Temporary Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court (2021) Presided over small claims trials, unlawful detainer matters, and settlement conferences with party consent - First Assistant U.S. Attorney (from 2018) Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney Chief, Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section – focused on cyber‐attacks affecting national security, IP crimes, trade‐secret theft, and economic espionage ## 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.