Sunshine Suzanne Sykes

How Judge Sykes rules, drawn from 6 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
United States District Court for the Central District of California
Position
district
Appointed by
Joe Biden (Democratic)
Commissioned
2022-06-14
Education
Stanford University (B.A., 1997); Stanford Law School (J.D., 2001)
Signed orders read
6

How Judge Sykes decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

On a default judgment in an ADA access case, awards damages and orders the defendant to bring the premises into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“JUDGMENT AGAINST DEFENDANT by Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes: It is hereby ordered and adjudged that Plaintiff KORTTNEY ELLIOT shall have JUDGMENT in her favor in the amount of $1,852.00 against Defendant SAUL S. FLORES. Additionally, Defendant SAUL S. FLORES is ORDERED to bring the parking lot of their business located at 1017 E. 4th St. in Ontario, California into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

Procedural preferences

Grants a defendant's motion to stay the case where a stay is warranted.

“MINUTES (IN CHAMBERS) by Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes: ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO STAY THE CASE (Dkt. [29]). ... (MD JS-6. Case Terminated)”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Koron Lekeith Lowe v. County of Riverside
5:24-cv-00169 · 2024-08-05
Motions to stay (defendant) Granted

“MINUTES (IN CHAMBERS) by Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes: ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO STAY THE CASE (Dkt. [29]). ... (MD JS-6. Case Terminated)”

Korttney Elliott v. Saul S. Flores
5:23-cv-01448 · 2024-03-15
Default judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“JUDGMENT AGAINST DEFENDANT by Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes: It is hereby ordered and adjudged that Plaintiff KORTTNEY ELLIOT shall have JUDGMENT in her favor in the amount of $1,852.00 against Defendant SAUL S. FLORES. Additionally, Defendant SAUL S. FLORES is ORDERED to bring the parking lot of their business located at 1017 E. 4th St. in Ontario, California into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

Pedro Velasquez Rodriguez v. Kristi Noem
5:26-cv-00030-SSS-BFM · 2026-01-13
Motion for temporary restraining order (petitioner) Granted

“Order Granting 5 Petitioners' EX PARTE APPLICATION for Temporary Restraining Order (DKT. No. 5).”

Paramvir Fnu v. Warden of the Desert View Facility
5:26-cv-00220-SSS-BFM · 2026-03-09
Habeas petition (petitioner) Moot / procedural

“As such, the Court finds the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus MOOT. The Clerk is directed to close the case.”

Vishu Vishu v. Warden of the Desert View
5:26-cv-00226-SSS-BFM · 2026-01-27
Motion for temporary restraining order (petitioner) Granted

“For the reasons discussed below, the Court GRANTS Petitioner’s Application for a TRO.”

Pedro Antonio Gonzalez Benites v. James Janecka
5:26-cv-00222-SSS-BFM · 2026-03-02
Habeas petition (petitioner) Granted in part

“The Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus (ECF 1) is granted as Count Three, Petitioners’ claim under Maldonado Bautista; ... The remaining claim(s) are dismissed as moot in light of the relief granted on Count Three”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

  • The sampled docket includes civil-rights, disability-access, product-liability, insurance, habeas, Social Security, and landlord-tenant matters.
  • The reviewed 2026 intake is dominated by pending immigration-detention petitions.
  • In the terminated refresh cohort, two petitioners obtained temporary bond-hearing relief, one petition became moot after release, one petition was granted in part with individualized bond hearings required, and one case ended without retrievable disposition text.

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Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Sykes, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.

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