District Judge Rita F. Lin

Chambers Copy Requirements

When a document filed on ECF is accompanied by more than 10 attachments, the filing party must deliver a flash drive with all the attachments to Judge Lin’s chambers within 3 court days of filing.  The flash drive should be labeled with the name and number of the case.  The flash drive should contain the ECF version of each attachment, with its ECF header.  The name of each PDF file on the flash drive should include the type of document, a brief description of the document, and the docket number.  For example, a news release (docket number 61-2) filed as the first exhibit to a declaration (docket number 61-1), would be, “[61-2] Decl Doe Ex 1 – News Release.” 

Paper courtesy copies shall not be submitted unless the Court requests them.

Delivery Address

About District Judge Rita F. Lin

Born 1978 in Oakland, CA

Federal Judicial Service:

• Nominated by Joseph R. Biden on August 1, 2022, and re-nominated on January 23, 2023, to a seat vacated by Edward Milton Chen.
• Confirmed by the Senate on September 19, 2023. 

Education:

• Harvard University, B.A., 2000
• Harvard Law School, J.D., 2003

Professional Career:

• Law clerk, Hon. Sandra Lynch, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 2003-2004
• Private practice, San Francisco, California, 2004-2014
• Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of California, 2014-2018
• Judge, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, 2018-2023
• Adjunct professor, University of California Hastings College of the Law (now University of California College of the Law), 2021

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I have to reserve a hearing date for a motion hearing?

No, you do not need to reserve a hearing date or contact the Court for a date.  Please follow the local rules (See Civil LR 7-2) and set the hearing on a Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in San Francisco, but check the Scheduling Notes link on Judge Lin’s webpage to make sure that the Court is available and the date is not closed for further settings.

• Is the Court holding hearings in person or via Zoom?

Civil case management conferences will be held via Zoom.  All other hearings and conferences in civil and criminal matters will generally be held in person absent further notice or leave to proceed otherwise from the Court. 

• How can I tell if a hearing is being held by Zoom videoconference?

If you see a link on the calendar beneath the case number and case name that says, “For connection information, please see the judge’s page,” that means the proceeding is being held by Zoom videoconference.

• Does the Court require courtesy copies of complaints and briefs?

Courtesy copies are required only when a document filed on ECF is accompanied by more than 10 attachments.  The filing party must deliver a flash drive with all the attachments to Judge Lin’s chambers within 3 court days of filing.  Please see Judge Lin’s Civil Standing Order for more specific requirements.  Paper courtesy copies shall not be submitted unless the Court requests them. 

• Does the Court require proposed orders to be emailed?

Proposed orders are not necessary for most substantive motions, such as motions for summary judgment, motions to dismiss, or preliminary injunction motions.  The parties should submit proposed orders only in connection with administrative motions, ex parte applications, discovery disputes, and rulings that call upon the court to make factual findings (such as a motion to approve a class settlement or a motion for attorneys’ fees).  All proposed orders should be sent in Microsoft Word compatible format to rflpo@cand.uscourts.gov.  Please do not email any proposed orders to rflcrd@cand.uscourts.gov.

• Does the Court issue tentative rulings?

No, this Court does not issue tentative rulings.

• Can my client observe a motion hearing by Zoom?

If you wish to request that an in-person motion hearing be broadcast on Zoom, please contact rflcrd@cand.uscourts.gov, cc-ing all other parties, at least two court days prior to the hearing to make the request.

• When will the Court rule on my administrative request to extend a deadline?

All stipulations to extend a deadline must be filed at least two court days prior to the deadline, absent extraordinary circumstances.  The Court will typically rule on stipulations within one or two court days.  If a party is requesting to extend a deadline without a stipulation from the other parties, the Court will wait four days to rule on the request to allow time for opposition under the Civil Local Rule 6-3.  If you need a ruling sooner, you should file earlier, or you should move to shorten the time for briefing the administrative motion under Civil Local Rule 6-3.