CrLR 18. Place of Trial Within the District
A. Division in Which Prosecution and Trial May Occur.
(1) Unless a statute, other rule, or court order requires otherwise, the government may
prosecute a case in any Division in the District in which the offense was committed, in
whole or in part.
(2) The court may fix the venue of a criminal case in any Division in the District,
consistent with Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 18 and this Local Rule.
B. Multiple Offenses. In cases involving multiple offenses joined under Federal Rule of
Criminal Procedure 8(a), the court may fix the venue in any Division in the District in which
any one of the offenses may be tried.
C. Multiple Defendants. In cases involving multiple defendants joined under Federal Rule of
Criminal Procedure 8(b), the court may fix the venue in any Division in the District in which
any one of the defendants may be tried.
D. Intradistrict Transfer. On a judge’s own motion or on the motion of a party, the judge in
whose court the case was filed may transfer the case to a different Division in the District, if,
after notice to the parties and an opportunity for them to be heard, the judge finds that the case
was not filed in the proper Division or that transfer to a different Division would be in the
interests of justice, based on the convenience of the defendant and the witnesses and on the
prompt administration of justice.
If a case is transferred to another Division under Rule 18 and this Local Rule, the Clerk of
Court will assign the case to a judge in the transferee Division in accordance with the plan for
random assignment, unless the transferor judge orders that he or she will continue to handle
the case after transfer.
If a case is retained in the Division where it was filed, the judge may direct the Clerk of Court
to assign it to a judge in a Division in which venue would have been proper under Rule 18 and
this Local Rule, in accordance with the plan for random assignment.