A federal criminal case in the Northern District of California is heard in the United States District Court for that district — a different court, with different rules and different stakes, than the state courts most people are familiar with. For anyone facing a federal investigation or charge in the San Francisco Bay Area, understanding that court and securing experienced federal counsel are the first priorities.
This guide explains federal criminal defense in the Northern District of California — the court and its courthouses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office that prosecutes there, how a federal case proceeds, and how our firm represents defendants here. Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. handles federal criminal defense, appeals, and post-conviction matters nationwide, and represents federal defendants in the Northern District of California through admission pro hac vice. Elizabeth Franklin-Best was selected for Best Lawyers in America 2026 as a “Best Lawyer” in Appellate Practice and is ranked by Chambers USA 2026 in Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations. This page is part of the firm’s federal courts directory.
If you are facing a federal investigation or charge in the Northern District of California, the firm offers a paid, one-hour initial consultation to review the matter and the options.
Table of Contents
Quick Answer: Northern District of California
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does the Northern District of California cover? | The San Francisco Bay Area and northern California, including San Francisco, Oakland, and Silicon Valley, with courthouses in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Eureka. |
| Who prosecutes federal cases there? | The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. |
| Which circuit hears appeals? | The Ninth Circuit, which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. |
| Where are post-conviction motions filed? | In the district of conviction — a Section 2255 motion challenging an NDCA conviction is filed in that district. |
| What kinds of cases dominate the docket? | Drug trafficking is the largest single category, but the district is the country’s leading venue for technology, securities, and digital-asset fraud — fraud, theft, and embezzlement make up about 17% of sentencings, alongside public-corruption and money-laundering work. |
| Can the firm appear in this court? | Yes. The firm represents federal defendants in the Northern District of California through admission pro hac vice. |
Key Takeaways
- The Northern District of California covers the San Francisco Bay Area and the northern coastal counties of the state.
- The district holds court in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Eureka, with 14 authorized judgeships.
- It is the nation’s leading venue for technology, securities, and digital-asset fraud, and it imposes below-Guidelines sentences more often than almost any district — only about 14% of FY2024 sentences fell within the Guideline range.
- Federal prosecutions there are brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
- The district sits within the Ninth Circuit, which hears appeals from its convictions.
- A federal case proceeds from investigation through charging, pretrial litigation, plea or trial, and sentencing.
- A notice of appeal in a federal criminal case generally must be filed within 14 days of the entry of judgment.
- Post-conviction motions, including Section 2255 motions, are filed in the district of conviction.
- The firm represents federal defendants in the Northern District of California through admission pro hac vice.
The Northern District of California at a Glance
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is one of four federal trial courts in California. It covers the San Francisco Bay Area and the northern coastal counties of the state — including San Francisco, Oakland, and the Silicon Valley region around San Jose — and it holds court in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Eureka.
Federal criminal cases in the district are prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, which represents the government in every federal prosecution brought in this district. The court sits within the Ninth Circuit, so appeals from convictions in the Northern District of California are heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Like every federal district court, the Northern District of California operates under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, supplemented by its own local rules. Those local rules govern the practical details of litigating a case in the district — filing requirements, scheduling practices, and courtroom procedures — and they are part of what makes experienced federal practice distinct from state-court work.
Federal Criminal Cases in the District
The Northern District of California handles the full range of federal criminal matters — white-collar offenses and fraud, drug and firearms cases, and other federal prosecutions. A federal case in the district generally moves through a recognizable sequence.
Most cases begin with an investigation by a federal agency, sometimes signaled by a target letter or a grand jury subpoena. Formal charges follow, typically by indictment. After an initial appearance and arraignment, the case proceeds through pretrial litigation and discovery, and is then resolved either by a negotiated plea agreement or by trial. A conviction is followed by sentencing under the federal framework. The firm’s federal criminal process hub walks through each stage in detail.
Throughout that sequence, the firm defends clients across the offense types the district sees — building the factual and legal record, litigating pretrial motions, negotiating where a negotiated resolution serves the client, and trying cases where trial is the right course.
Applied Insight: The earliest stage of a federal case is often the most important. Decisions made during an investigation — before any charge is filed — can shape everything that follows. Anyone who learns they are under federal investigation in the Northern District of California should treat that as the moment to seek counsel, not wait for an indictment.
Silicon Valley’s Federal Docket
The Northern District of California is the federal court of the technology economy, and its docket reflects that. In fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reported 477 individuals sentenced in the district. Drug trafficking was the largest single category at roughly 44 percent, but the district’s distinctive caseload is white-collar: fraud, theft, and embezzlement made up about 17 percent of sentencings, with significant public-corruption and money-laundering components. This is the district that prosecuted the securities and wire-fraud cases arising from Silicon Valley — including the Theranos prosecutions of Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh Balwani, which were tried and resolved here as a matter of public record — and it remains the leading venue in the country for technology, securities, and digital-asset enforcement.
The district also carries a notable violent-crime component for an urban coastal district — about 6 percent of its FY2024 sentencings were murder cases, a figure tied to federal jurisdiction over crimes on tribal lands and federal enclaves within its boundaries, an area governed by decisions such as Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, 597 U.S. 629 (2022). For most defendants, though, the work that defines practice here is documentary and financial: the loss calculation under the Sentencing Guidelines, the sophistication and role enhancements, and the line between aggressive business conduct and criminal intent.
The Bench, the U.S. Attorney, and a Below-Guidelines District
The Northern District of California has 14 authorized district judgeships under 28 U.S.C. § 133, sitting in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Eureka. As of mid-2026, the chief district judge is Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and the chief magistrate judge is Nathanael M. Cousins. One feature of this bench should interest anyone facing sentencing here: the Northern District imposes below-Guidelines sentences more often than almost any district in the country. In FY2024, only about 14 percent of its sentences fell within the calculated Guideline range — the lowest within-range rate of California’s four districts — while variances accounted for roughly 70 percent of cases, including government-supported downward variances in nearly half of all sentencings. For a defendant, that pattern is not a guarantee, but it does mean that well-supported arguments for a sentence below the Guidelines are received in a court that grants them routinely. (Roster details are stated as of mid-2026; the court’s website controls the current bench.)
Federal prosecutions in the district are brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, with criminal units focused on securities and financial fraud, cybercrime and digital assets, public corruption, and narcotics. As of mid-2026, the office is led by Craig H. Missakian, who is not a Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney but a court-appointed one — after his interim appointment under 28 U.S.C. § 546 began in May 2025, the district’s judges appointed him and he was sworn in that September. The office serves nearly nine million residents across 15 counties from Del Norte to Monterey, and its career Assistant U.S. Attorneys handle the day-to-day prosecutions, including the technology-sector cases for which the district is known. An investigation here often surfaces first as a grand jury subpoena to a company or a target letter to an executive, and the period before any charge is filed is frequently where a case is won or lost.
Appeals and Post-Conviction Matters
A case in the Northern District of California does not necessarily end at sentencing. A person convicted in the district has the right to appeal to the Ninth Circuit, and the notice of appeal in a criminal case generally must be filed within fourteen days of the entry of judgment.
Beyond a direct appeal, post-conviction relief is filed in the district of conviction — so a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 challenging a Northern District of California conviction is filed in that district itself. The firm also handles compassionate release and other post-conviction matters in the district. Appellate and post-conviction work is the firm’s core strength, and it travels well: because federal law is national, this work can be handled effectively in the Northern District of California regardless of where the firm is based.
How the Firm Practices in This Court
Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. represents federal defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California through admission pro hac vice. Pro hac vice — meaning, roughly, “for this occasion” — is the long-established procedure by which a qualified attorney who is not a member of a particular district court’s bar is admitted to appear in a specific case before that court.
This is a routine and well-recognized part of federal practice. Federal criminal law is national, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure apply in every district, and experienced federal practitioners regularly appear across district lines through pro hac vice admission. The Northern District of California, like every federal district court, has a local-rule procedure for it.
What matters most in choosing federal counsel is not a local address but genuine federal experience — particularly in the appellate and post-conviction work that is our firm’s focus. Our principal attorney, Elizabeth Franklin-Best, has handled more than 330 federal proceedings, including over 100 appeals, and has been admitted to practice before all twelve federal courts of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court; she is admitted to the Ninth Circuit and handles federal trial-level defense, appeals, and post-conviction matters for clients in the Northern District of California. The author of Reversing Your Criminal Conviction, she brings a nationwide post-conviction practice — appearing pro hac vice from Montana to Florida — to a district where cases turn on complex records. That focus matters here: technology and securities fraud cases generate exactly the kind of complex Guideline and intent questions that carry through to appeal, and the Ninth Circuit — which granted compassionate-release motions at roughly 31 percent in fiscal year 2025, the highest rate of any circuit — gives this work real room to make a difference after conviction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What area does the Northern District of California cover?
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California covers the San Francisco Bay Area and the northern coastal counties of the state, including San Francisco, Oakland, and the Silicon Valley region around San Jose. It holds court in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Eureka.
Who prosecutes federal crimes in the Northern District of California?
Federal criminal cases in the Northern District of California are prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, which represents the federal government in every federal prosecution brought in the district.
Which appeals court covers the Northern District of California?
The Northern District of California sits within the Ninth Circuit. A person convicted in the district can appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the largest federal appellate circuit, which covers the Western states and Pacific territories.
How does a federal criminal case proceed in the Northern District of California?
A federal case generally begins with an investigation, followed by formal charges, usually by indictment. After an initial appearance and arraignment, the case moves through pretrial litigation and discovery and is resolved by plea or trial. A conviction is followed by sentencing under the federal framework.
Can an out-of-state lawyer represent me in the Northern District of California?
Yes. Through pro hac vice admission, a qualified attorney who is not a member of the district court’s bar can be admitted to appear in a specific case. It is a routine part of federal practice, and federal criminal law is uniform across districts.
Does the firm handle federal cases in the Northern District of California?
Yes. Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. represents federal defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California through admission pro hac vice, and handles trial-level defense, appeals to the Ninth Circuit, and post-conviction matters in the district.
Why is the Northern District of California known for white-collar and technology cases?
The district covers Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, so it is the natural venue for federal securities, wire-fraud, and digital-asset prosecutions arising from the technology economy. The Theranos prosecutions of Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh Balwani were handled here, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office maintains specialized units for securities fraud, cybercrime, and digital assets. In fiscal year 2024, fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for about 17 percent of the district’s sentencings.
Does the Northern District of California give sentences below the Guidelines?
Often. In fiscal year 2024, only about 14 percent of sentences in the Northern District fell within the calculated Guideline range, the lowest within-range rate of California’s four federal districts, while variances accounted for roughly 70 percent of cases. That does not guarantee a below-Guidelines sentence in any individual case, but it means that well-supported arguments for a lower sentence are heard in a court that grants them frequently.
What should I do if my company receives a federal grand jury subpoena in the Northern District of California?
Treat it as the moment to involve experienced federal counsel, not wait. In this district, investigations into securities, fraud, and technology matters frequently begin with a subpoena to a company or a target letter to an executive, and the decisions made before any charge is filed, including how documents and testimony are handled, often shape the entire case. Early counsel can protect privilege, manage the company’s response, and assess exposure before positions harden.
Talk With a Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you are facing a federal investigation or charge in the Northern District of California — whether a Silicon Valley securities or fraud inquiry, a digital-asset case, or any other federal matter — or are weighing an appeal or post-conviction motion after a conviction here, we offer a paid, one-hour initial consultation to review the matter and the path forward. In a district where so much turns on the loss calculation and the line between hard business and criminal intent, an early, candid assessment from experienced federal counsel is the right first step.