KYJKnow Your Judge v0.6.2by SwansLake
Judge directoryErnest W. Sawtelle

Active Trial judge

Ernest W. Sawtelle

Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento

California · Sacramento

Identity verifiedOfficial profile locatedOfficial sources collectedPresentation intelligence
01

Overview

Identity and service

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

Judicial role
Superior Court Judge
Service status
Active
Court level
Trial
Jurisdiction
State
02

Background

Biography and career

Born
1966
Gender
Male
Race
White
Political affiliation
Republican (via appointer)

Education

  • University of California-Los AngelesBA
  • University of the PacificJD

Professional career

No nonjudicial career history is documented in this source.

Judicial service

  • Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, 2008-present

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project public biographical data. Demographic and political labels are incomplete, source-attributed, and are not used to infer judicial behavior. “Via appointer” describes CourtListener’s attribution method, not verified personal party membership.

03

Before you appear

Preparation checklist

  1. 01

    Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.

  2. 02

    Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.

  3. 03

    Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

Scope note

Statewide and courtwide guidance is labeled by scope and is not evidence of a personal preference. Division, judge-specific, or case-specific orders may control.

04

Presentation rules

What the public sources say

CourtwideExplicit
Trial

Allowed with notice

At least seven days before trial, parties must meet and confer and exchange motions in limine; motions, oppositions, and the list of disputed motions must be filed at least two court days before the first trial day.

Page
47
Section
Local Rule 2.95
Effective
July 1, 2026
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
At least seven (7) days before trial, all parties must meet and confer and exchange motions in limine

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
Trial

Allowed with notice

On the first day of trial, counsel must submit agreed and disputed jury instructions to the assigned trial judge electronically in Microsoft Word format.

Page
47-48
Section
Local Rule 2.97
Effective
July 1, 2026
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
submit to the assigned trial judge electronically, in Microsoft Word format

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
Trial

Allowed with notice

Before the first day of trial, counsel must meet and confer on exhibits and prepare binders containing copies of agreed exhibits for the judge, clerk, and counsel.

Page
48
Section
Local Rule 2.98
Effective
July 1, 2026
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
prepare binders containing copies of the agreed upon exhibits for use by the judge, clerk, and counsel

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
Trial

Allowed

Audio or video presented through court equipment must use a non-proprietary format that works in VLC Media Player or Windows Media Player; parties may instead provide their own equipment.

Page
2
Section
Digital Evidence Policy, Media Compatibility
Effective
May 16, 2019
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
must be provided in a non-proprietary format that can be played using VLC Media Player or Windows Media Player

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
Trial

Allowed with notice

The court may require electronically presented documents, spreadsheets, and reports to be supplied as text-searchable PDF files.

Page
2
Section
Digital Evidence Policy, Documents
Effective
May 16, 2019
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Documents, spreadsheets and reports must be provided in text searchable PDF format

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
Trial

Restricted

Digital evidence must be free of viruses and malware, must be scannable, and must not be compressed or zipped.

Page
2
Section
Digital Evidence Policy, Security
Effective
May 16, 2019
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Digital evidence files may not be compressed or zipped

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
Trial

Leave required

A party unable to comply with the Digital Evidence Policy may move for an exception and, if granted, must supply the technology or software needed to present the evidence.

Page
2
Section
Digital Evidence Policy, Exceptions
Effective
May 16, 2019
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
A party may file a motion seeking an exception to this policy

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Trial

Allowed with notice

A party offering an electronic sound or sound-and-video recording must provide the court and opposing parties a transcript and provide opposing parties a duplicate of the recording.

Page
Official page
Section
Rule 2.1040
Effective
July 1, 2011
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
the party must provide to the court and to opposing parties a transcript of the electronic recording and provide opposing parties with a duplicate of the electronic recording

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Hearing

Allowed

California courts should permit remote participation in covered civil proceedings, subject to the statute, local rules, and controlling orders.

Page
Official page
Section
Rule 3.672
Effective
August 4, 2023
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
courts should permit parties to appear remotely at conferences, hearings, and proceedings in civil cases consistent with Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Hearing

Allowed

Covered civil parties and witnesses may appear remotely, and the court may conduct proceedings in whole or in part using remote technology.

Page
Official page
Section
CCP 367.75
Effective
June 29, 2026
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
that party or witness may appear remotely and the court may conduct conferences, hearings, and proceedings, in whole or in part, through the use of remote technology

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
General

Restricted

Court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast except as Rule 1.150 permits.

Page
Official page
Section
Rule 1.150
Effective
January 1, 2007
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Except as provided in this rule, court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast.

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Jury Trial

Allowed with notice

In expedited jury trials, parties may use slides, electronic presentations, projections, exhibit notebooks, and other methods approved at the pretrial conference.

Page
Official page
Section
Rule 3.1551, expedited jury trials only
Effective
July 1, 2016
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
the parties may present summaries and may use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, individual notebooks of exhibits for submission to the jurors, or other innovative methods of presentation approved at the pretrial conference

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Pretrial

Allowed with notice

Voluntary expedited jury trial submissions must identify party agreements concerning electronic presentations and other proposed presentation methods.

Page
Official page
Section
Rule 3.1548, voluntary expedited jury trials only
Effective
July 1, 2016
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Any agreements of the parties to use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, notebooks of exhibits, or other methods of presenting information to the jury

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Trial

Leave required

An exhibit must be admitted by the judge before it may be used in the case.

Page
Official page
Section
Official self-help guidance, not a binding Rule of Court
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
The judge must to allow you to admit the exhibit as evidence in order for you to use it in your case.

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

05

Courtroom technology

Published equipment guidance

No technology specification indexed

Technology availability is separate from procedural permission and evidentiary admissibility.

06

Published opinion footprint

Decisions and citations

Opinion data is not yet indexed for this profile

This does not mean the judge has no published opinions or no caseload. KYJ will only show opinion counts after transparent, source-linked CourtListener matching is available.

07

Sources

Public documents behind this profile

08

Change history

How this profile entered KYJ

Current profile indexed

Identity imported from Judicial Branch of California. 14 presentation-related claims migrated with source provenance.