Federal Criminal Cases in the Bay Area: U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California covers the coastal region from Monterey County in the south to the Oregon border in the north. It is headquartered in San Francisco, with additional courthouses in Oakland, San Jose and Eureka-McKinleyville (cand.uscourts.gov). Vikas Bajaj was admitted to practice in the Northern District of California in November 2026.

For how federal criminal cases move through this court, see our federal criminal defense guide for the Northern District of California.

The courthouses

  • San Francisco: Phillip Burton Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102. The Clerk’s Office is on the 16th floor; the front desk is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone (415) 522-2000 (San Francisco location).
  • Oakland: Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building & United States Courthouse, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612. The Clerk’s Office is in Suite 400 S; the front desk is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone (510) 637-3530 (Oakland location).
  • San Jose: Robert F. Peckham Federal Building & United States Courthouse, 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. The Clerk’s Office is in Room 2112 on the 2nd floor; the front desk is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone (408) 535-5363 (San Jose location).
  • Eureka-McKinleyville: United States Courthouse, 3140 Boeing Avenue, McKinleyville, CA 95519. Open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; no drop box is available. Phone (707) 445-3612 (Eureka-McKinleyville location).

The court describes its docket as one of the busiest in the nation, with many cases involving technology and intellectual property (cand.uscourts.gov). Federal criminal cases there often involve computer fraud and cybercrime, trade secret and intellectual property theft, securities fraud and wire fraud allegations.

How a federal criminal case usually moves

  • Initial appearance. A person arrested on a federal charge must be taken before a magistrate judge without unnecessary delay (Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 5).
  • Detention or release. The court decides whether a person is released before trial, and on what conditions, under the Bail Reform Act (18 U.S.C. § 3142).
  • Speedy Trial Act deadlines. An indictment or information generally must be filed within 30 days of arrest, and trial generally must begin within 70 days of the indictment or first appearance, subject to excludable delay (18 U.S.C. § 3161).

Related pages

Talk to the office

The Law Office of Vikas Bajaj, APC is at The Bajaj Building, 2150 First Avenue, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101. Vikas Bajaj has nearly 25 years of experience and personally handles each client’s case. Call (619) 525-7005 or use the contact form.

Attorney advertising. This page is general information about court locations and procedure, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Court addresses, hours and phone numbers come from the court websites linked on this page; confirm them with the court before you go, because courts change them. Every case is different, and no particular result can be promised.

What happens next

  1. Call or send the form. Reach the office at (619) 525-7005 or use the contact form.
  2. A confidential consultation with Vikas. You speak directly with attorney Vikas Bajaj about your situation.
  3. A plan for your case. You leave with a clear plan for the next steps.