The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (commonly referred to as the CDCA or CACD) has responsibility for only seven counties. However, those counties are home to 17 million people, making it the largest federal judicial district by population. Because its jurisdiction encompasses Hollywood, the CDCA often hears cases involving the entertainment industry and famous celebrities.

Divisions

It is divided into three divisions.

The eastern division hears cases from Riverside and San Bernardino Counties at its Riverside courthouse.

The southern division covers Orange County from its Santa Ana courthouse.

The western division handles cases for Los Angeles,San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Cases are heard in two huge courthouses in Los Angeles. The older one is the Spring Street courthouse, a typically stodgy early 20th-century government office building, while the newer one is the Edward Roybal courthouse, which is a modern granite-sheathed office tower. Since the mid-1990s, the district court administration has been fighting for funding to renovate or replace the aging Spring Street courthouse. Congress has been reluctant to provide such funding, probably because Congress is currently dominated by the Republican Party and the majority of judges in the CDCA were appointed through their connections to the Democratic Party.