Federal Criminal Cases in San Diego: U.S. District Court, Southern District of California


The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California covers San Diego and Imperial Counties, with courthouses in downtown San Diego and in El Centro (casd.uscourts.gov).

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

The courthouses

  • James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse, 333 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101. The Clerk’s Office is in Suite 420, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Edward J. Schwartz United States Courthouse, 221 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101.
  • El Centro United States Courthouse, 2003 W. Adams Ave., El Centro, CA 92243.
  • Main phone for the San Diego courthouses: (619) 557-5600 (Court Location Information).

The district’s southern edge is the international border with Mexico (casd.uscourts.gov), so illegal reentry and alien smuggling cases are a large part of its criminal docket.

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.

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What happens next

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  2. A confidential consultation with Vikas. You speak directly with attorney Vikas Bajaj about your situation.
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