---
title: "Todd Wallace Robinson | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/todd-wallace-robinson"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Todd Wallace Robinson

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California · U.S. District Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern 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, S.D. California, 2020-present
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of California, 1997-2003, 2005-2020; deputy chief, General Crimes Section, 2007; senior litigation counsel, 2008-2020
- Trial attorney, Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, U.S. Department of Justice, 1993-1997
- American federal judge serving on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

### Education

- cum laude — Georgetown University — 1993
- Georgetown University Law Center — J.D. (1993)
- University of California-Berkeley — B.A. (1989)

### Additional information

- He has held this position since 2020 following Senate confirmation by an 86–10 vote.
- Nominated: February 13, 2020, by President Donald J. Trump
- Commissioned: September 18, 2020
- Confirmed: September 16, 2020 (Senate vote 86–10)
- Operations officer, Central Intelligence Agency, 2004
- Date of birth: 1967-01-01
- Has served more than five years on the federal bench and continues to preside over cases in one of the busiest federal districts in the United States.
- Predecessor: Judge Marilyn L. Huff
- Birth place: Jacksonville, FL

## 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.casd.uscourts.gov/Judges.aspx)
- [Official roster](https://www.casd.uscourts.gov/Judges.aspx)
- [casd.uscourts.gov judicial profile or roster](https://www.casd.uscourts.gov/Judges.aspx)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14460/todd-wallace-robinson/)
- [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/14460/todd-wallace-robinson/)
- [Judge Todd Wallace Robinson](https://www.fjc.gov/node/8900351)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14460/todd-wallace-robinson/)
- [Judge Todd Wallace Robinson](https://www.fjc.gov/node/8900351)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/todd-wallace-robinson",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/todd-wallace-robinson",
      "name": "Todd Wallace Robinson | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Todd Wallace Robinson, U.S. District Court for the Southern 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/todd-wallace-robinson#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/todd-wallace-robinson#judge",
      "name": "Todd Wallace Robinson",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/todd-wallace-robinson",
      "jobTitle": "U.S. District Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.casd.uscourts.gov/Judges.aspx",
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14460/todd-wallace-robinson/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1967",
      "birthPlace": "Jacksonville, FL",
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "University of California-Berkeley"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "University of California"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Georgetown University"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Georgetown University Law Center"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "California",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/california"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Todd Wallace Robinson",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/todd-wallace-robinson"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 351 | 111 | 0.3 | 111 |
| 2y | 499 | 190 | 0.5 | 190 |
| 5y | 869 | 544 | 2.9 | 544 |
| 10y | 980 | 655 | 3.3 | 655 |

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.
