Announcement Archive
Effective January 1, 2023, the Northern District of California |
New San Francisco Division Procedures for Noticing and Conducting Hearings
Judges Montali and Blumenstiel will soon permit in-person and remote appearances at certain calendars. Judge Montali will begin this practice on May 23, 2025; Judge Blumenstiel will begin this practice on August 1, 2025.
The San Francisco Division has issued revised Procedures for Noticing and Conducting Hearings, which identify the affected calendars and explain how hearings should be noticed. These revised Procedures are now available here on the court’s website.
Please review the new Procedures. If you have questions, please contact the relevant Judge’s chambers. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Bankruptcy Judgeship Opportunity, Oakland Division
Attachment:
Bankruptcy Judgeship Oakland Holiday - Labor Day
The Court will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2025 in observance of Labor Day.
CM/ECF Temporarily Unavailable on Saturday, October 4, 2025
Access to CM/ECF will be temporarily unavailable on Saturday, October 4th from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM due to system maintenance.
Holiday - Columbus Day
The Court will be closed on Monday, October 13, 2025 in observance of Columbus Day.
Court Operations Continue Despite Government Shutdown
Currently, the Northern District of California is maintaining its regular operations, including court hearings and public hours. The court's case management systems (CM/ECF and PACER) will also remain accessible. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact one of the Clerk's offices.
Invitation for Public Comment on the Reappointment of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Hannah L. Blumenstiel
Attachment:
b PublicNotice-Blumenstiel CAN.pdf Notice of Unavailability for the Honorable Hannah L. Blumenstiel
Notice of Unavailability for the Honorable Hannah L. Blumenstiel Holiday - Veterans Day
The Court will be closed on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, in observance of Veterans Day.
Save-the-Date: Bay Area Bankruptcy Judges' Conference
Attachment:
Flyer Bankruptcy Judges Conference 2026 Northern District of California Court Operations During the Lapse of Appropriations
The Northern District is operating under Phase II of its plan for operations during a funding lapse. Until funding is restored, the Northern District will maintain limited operations necessary consistent with the Judiciary’s constitutional functions. More information is available at: www.uscourts.gov
For information regarding court hearings, please visit www.canb.uscourts.gov. The court's case management systems (CM/ECF and PACER) remain accessible. For questions or assistance, please contact the Clerk's office.
CM/ECF and PACER: Multifactor Authentication Began on May 11th
On May 11th, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) began implementing with PACER and CM/ECF users on a rolling basis multifactor authentication (MFA) to enhance system security. MFA provides an added layer of security to accounts to protect against cyberattacks and other security risks. Users with federal court CM/ECF filing access will be required to enroll in MFA by December 31, 2025. Users with only PACER access to view documents will have the option to enroll in MFA, but it is not required.
For more information, please visit the PACER website.
Holiday - Thanksgiving and the Day After
The Bankruptcy Court will be closed on November 27 and 28, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Retirement of Judge M. Elaine Hammond
The Bankruptcy Judges are announcing the retirement of their colleague M. Elaine Hammond of the court’s San Jose Division. On behalf of the entire court, we extend our deepest gratitude to Judge Hammond for her distinguished years of service and significant contributions to the bench and community. The court conveys its best wishes for a fulfilling and rewarding retirement.
Judge Hammond’s cases will be reassigned on November 12, 2025. Counsel wishing to set matters for hearing in reassigned cases should use the procedures of the successor judge. Matters currently set for Judge Hammond’s calendars will need to be re-noticed and calendared. Counsel should contact the assigned successor judge’s courtroom deputy with any questions.
Reassignment of Cases Pending in the San Jose Division
Reassignment of Cases Pending in the San Jose Division Event for the San Francisco and Santa Rosa Chapter 13 Bar
Judges Blumenstiel and Montali invite you to join them at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 to thank Standing Chapter 12/13 Trustee David Burchard for his many years of dedicated service and to discuss changes to the management of San Francisco and Santa Rosa Chapter 13 cases following Mr. Burchard’s retirement. The event will be held via Zoom.
One of these changes will take effect on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, when Judge Blumenstiel will begin calling her San Francisco Chapter 13 calendar at 1:00 p.m. Judge Montali will continue to call his San Francisco Chapter 13 calendar at 10:00 a.m. In addition, both Judge Blumenstiel and Judge Montali will no longer call a calendar at 10 minutes after the hour. All matters will be heard at 10:00 a.m. (Judge Montali cases) or 1:00 p.m. (Judge Blumenstiel cases). Please join us on December 17 to learn more.
We look forward to seeing you!
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1611599050?pwd=I2Uobw0ibrcQJCvy3pPele7Bn4Mazr.1
Webinar ID: 161 159 9050
Passcode: r@a?4Tqvy
Attachment:
Event for the San Francisco and Santa Rosa Chapter 13 Bar