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January 7, 2026
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8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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IN THE MATTER OF ) GENERAL ORDER NO. 26-01
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THE APPOINTMENT OF THE MERIT ) (Supersedes General Order No. 24-09)
12 SELECTION PANEL )
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15 Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 631(b)(5) and the relevant standards and procedures
16 promulgated by the Judicial Conference of the United States, the Court must appoint a
17 Merit Selection Panel to assist the Court with the appointment and reappointment of
18 magistrate judges. The Court’s current Merit Selection Panel was appointed on
19 October 21, 2013 by General Order No. 13-12 and as modified by General Order Nos.
20 14-07, 15-02, 16-07, 17-11, 19-04, 19-12, 20-14, 21-12, 22-04, 23-16, and 24-09. To
21 maintain full membership, it is now necessary to renew the term of three existing
22 members and appoint ten new members, including new Co-Chairs.
23 IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the terms of existing members Ellisen
24 Turner, Vicki Chou, and Jeffrey Koncius are renewed for another three-year term,
25 through December 31, 2028.
26 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the following new members are appointed for
27 a three-year term, through December 31, 2028: Amy Xu, Annie O’Toole, Arnoldo
28 Casillas, David Kim, Jennie VonCannon, Karin Necessary, Mark Neubauer, and
1 Sascha Henry.
2 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that former Magistrate Judges Paul Abrams and
3 Carla Woehrle are appointed as Co-Chairs and will serve in that capacity for a term
4 determined at the discretion of the Court.
5 The Merit Selection Panel’s full membership is set forth in Attachment A to this
6 General Order. Panel members have received written notice of the restrictions set
7 forth in the Guide to Judiciary Policy, Chapter 4, Section 420.30.20(d).
8 This General Order shall become effective nunc pro tunc on January 1, 2026.
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10 IT IS SO ORDERED.
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14 CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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16 Date of Approval by the Court: January 7, 2026
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18 Date of Filing by the Clerk: January 7, 2026
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Attachment A to General Order No. 26-01
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA MERIT SELECTION PANEL
Effective Date: January 1, 2026
Name Date Current Term Expires
Paul Abrams, Co-Chair Discretion of the Court
Carla Woehrle, Co-Chair Discretion of the Court
Ellison Turner* December 31, 2028
Vicki Chou* December 31, 2028
Jeffrey Koncius* December 31, 2028
Caroline Djang December 31, 2026
Mark Finkelstein December 31, 2026
Miles Freeman December 31, 2026
Aisha Novasky December 31, 2026
James Perez December 31, 2026
Tina Wolfson December 31, 2026
Amy Xu December 31, 2028
Annie O’Toole December 31, 2028
Arnoldo Casillas December 31, 2028
David Kim December 31, 2028
Jennie VonCannon December 31, 2028
Karin Necessary December 31, 2028
Mark Neubauer December 31, 2028
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Sascha Henry December 31, 2028
Sandra Talcott (non-attorney)* December 31, 2026
Rachel Ingram (non-attorney)* December 31, 2027
*Not eligible for reappointment at expiration of term shown above.
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