NOTICE OF JUDGE BARRY RUSSELL’S PROCEDURES 
FOR HEARINGS TO BE CONDUCTED IN PERSON 
AND/OR VIA ZOOM FOR GOVERNMENT 
(Updated 7.1.2021)

Pursuant to General Order 21-05 issued on June 22, 2021, the Roybal Federal Building is now open to the public. Judge Russell will be holding hearings both in person and via Zoom for Government (“ZoomGov”)  (https://cacb.zoomgov.com). It is extremely important that counsel and all interested parties read the Judge’s tentative rulings on his law and motion/trial calendar very carefully as the tentative rulings will indicate whether an in person appearance at a hearing is mandatory.  

The calendar with tentative rulings will be posted approximately one week prior to the scheduled hearing(s) and can be accessed at the following web address: http://ecf-ciao.cacb.uscourts.gov/CiaoPosted/?jid=BR Click on the “Select Judge” tab on the upper left side of the screen and select Judge Russell.  

In Person appearances:  If an in person appearance is required, all counsel, parties and witnesses are to appear in Courtroom 1668 at 255 East Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 and no appearance(s) will be allowed by any person either telephonically or via ZoomGov.

All persons present in the courtroom must abide by all Covid 19-related safety procedures at all times including, but not limited to, the wearing of face masks and the observation of social distancing. For the sake of everyone’s safety and respect for others, there will be no exceptions to this Covid 19 policy. Water is no longer provided at the counsel tables.

ZoomGov appearances: For ZoomGov hearings, the first page of Judge Russell’s publicly posted hearing calendar will provide video and audio connection information for the hearings. All ZoomGov appearances by attorneys shall be by video on a laptop computer or on a ZoomGov interface on a mobile device or tablet.

If an unexpected emergency arises on the day of the hearing, attorneys who wish to appear by calling in to the ZoomGov telephone conference line must contact chambers at (213) 894-6091 and obtain approval to appear telephonically on ZoomGov. The Courtroom Deputy will be in court and unavailable to contact by phone on the day of each hearing.

Attorneys who are aware prior to the hearing date that they cannot appear at an in person hearing must contact the Courtroom Deputy at (213) 894-3687 prior to the hearing date to obtain approval to appear telephonically via ZoomGov.

All parties must notify the Court of his/her appearance, whether in person or via ZoomGov, no later than 2:00 p.m. on the day prior to the hearing  by emailing the Courtroom Deputy at stacey_fortier@cacb.uscourts.gov.  In the subject line of the e-mail, please specify the date, time and calendar number(s) of the hearing(s) (for example:  Re: September 15, 2020, 10:00 a.m., Calendar No. #, In Person/ZoomGov).

The audio portion of each hearing will be recorded electronically by the Court and shall constitute its official record. 

Revised: July 1, 2021

Printable version of Judge Russell's Telephonic and Video Appearance Procedures