Pedro V. Castillo
How Judge Castillo rules, drawn from 34 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Castillo
Pedro V. Castillo became a U.S. magistrate judge for the Central District of California in January 2020 and sits in Los Angeles. He previously spent more than 27 years as a deputy federal public defender and tried more than 45 cases to verdict. He graduated from Stanford University and the University of Arizona College of Law.
Judge Castillo's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Castillo, as published on the court's website (checked October 8, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
- Judge's Procedures and Schedules ↗
- PVC FORM STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER [Apr 2020] [Microsoft Word] ↗
Key rules
Contacting chambers
Counsel are not allowed to contact the magistrate judge’s law clerks, interns, externs, or to communicate with chambers by means of the Court’s email address other than to email proposed orders.
“Counsel are not allowed to contact the magistrate judge’s law clerks, interns, externs, or to communicate with chambers by means of the Court’s email address other than to email proposed orders.”
Filing
Judge Castillo does not require courtesy copies, unless otherwise notified by the Court.
“Judge Castillo does not require courtesy copies, unless otherwise notified by the Court.”
Motions
Civil motions are heard Tuesdays at 10 a.m. without advance clearance from the courtroom deputy.
“Civil motions are heard on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. It is not necessary to clear a civil motion date with the Courtroom Deputy Clerk (CRD) prior to filing the motion.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 8, 2026).
- General Order 11-10: Alternative Dispute Resolution Program ↗
- General Order 19-01: Criminal Duty Matters Electronic Filing Pilot Project ↗
- General Order 20-13: Criminal Duty Matters Electronic Filing Pilot Project ↗
- General Order 18-02: Submission of Certain Prisoner Filings Through Electronic Mail ↗
- General Order 24-07: Criminal Justice Act Plan ↗
How Judge Castillo decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In the reviewed consent habeas decision, the court treated an unstayed declaratory judgment as binding within the district and ordered release where another bond hearing would have been futile.
“the Court concludes that immediate release from custody is the only means to provide complete relief to Petitioner for the violation of his statutory and constitutional rights.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo, Related to: Order of Remand 18 . IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the above-captioned action is remanded to the Commissioner of Social Security for further proceedings consistent with the Stipulation to Remand. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (et)”
“ORDER AWARDING EAJA FEES by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo. Re: Stipulation for Award of EAJA Fees 20 . (see document for details) (hr)”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo, Related to: Order of Remand 20 . IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the above-captioned action is remanded to the Commissioner of Social Security for further proceedings consistent with the Stipulation of Remand. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (hr)”
“JUDGMENT OF REMAND by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo, Related to: Order of Remand 18 . IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the above-captioned action is remanded to the Commissioner of Social Security for further proceedings consistent with the Stipulation of Remand. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (hr)”
“ORDER AWARDING EAJA FEES by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo. Re: Stipulation for Award of EAJA Fees 20 . (see document for details) (hr)”
“ORDER AWARDING EAJA FEES by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo. Re: Stipulation for Award of EAJA Fees 20 . (see document for details) (hr)”
“JUDGMENT OF REMAND by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo, Related to: Order 22 . IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the above captioned action is remanded to the Commissioner of Social Security for further proceedings consistent with the terms of the Stipulation to Remand. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (hr)”
“ORDER AWARDING EAJA FEES by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo. Re: Stipulation for Award of EAJA Fees 24 . (see document for details) (hr)”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo, Related to: Memorandum Decision and Order 22 . IT IS ADJUDGED that the decision of the Commissioner is REVERSED and that the above-captioned action is REMANDED to the Commissioner for further action consistent with the Court's Memorandum Decision and Order. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (hr)”
“ORDER AWARDING EAJA FEES by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo. Re: Stipulation for Award of EAJA Fees 24 . (see document for details) (hr)”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo, Related to: Memorandum Decision and Order 20 . IT IS ADJUDGED that the decision of the Commissioner is REVERSED and that the above-captioned action is REMANDED to the Commissioner for further action consistent with the Court's Memorandum Decision and Order. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (et)”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo, Related to: Memorandum Decision and Order 23 . IT IS ADJUDGED that the decision of the Commissioner is AFFIRMED and that the above-captioned action is dismissed with prejudice. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (et)”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The reviewed sample combines ten closed benefits cases filed in 2020 with nine matters filed in 2026. Four current habeas cases had signer-attributed decisions in the refresh cohort; the two later bond-hearing orders did not establish a case termination date.
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 4 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 0 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the Central District of California, not for Judge Castillo: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
| Cases | Median time | |
|---|---|---|
| All civil cases closed | 15,190 | 3.9 months |
| Closed with no court action | 4,414 | 3.1 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 10,538 | 4.3 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 103 | 17.9 months |
| Closed during trial | 135 | 25.7 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 15,190 | 3.9 months |
| Sep 2024 | 15,348 | 3.9 months |
| Sep 2023 | 13,583 | 4.4 months |
| Sep 2022 | 12,887 | 4.7 months |
| Sep 2021 | 14,213 | 4.7 months |
| Sep 2020 | 14,205 | 5 months |
| Sep 2019 | 13,478 | 4.9 months |
The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).
Draft for Judge Castillo with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Castillo, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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- Grounded in Judge Castillo's own signed orders
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