Araceli Martínez-Olguín
US district judge presiding over the Paramount-Warner merger suits and Bartz v Anthropic.
Araceli Martínez-Olguín set the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger trial for 2–19 March 2027 in an order signed on 4 August 2026. The schedule covers the state and Writers Guild challenges.
Last refreshed: 22 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
When did Martínez-Olguín approve the Bartz settlement?
Timeline for Araceli Martínez-Olguín
Paramount trial set for March 2027
Media's AI PivotGranted the stipulation and presides over all three cases
Media's AI Pivot: California moves the merger case to trialGranted the stipulation and presides over all three cases
Media's AI Pivot: Paramount agrees not to close its own dealExtended the restraining order and set a preliminary-injunction hearing
Media's AI Pivot: Martínez-Olguín extends Paramount freezeGranted a temporary restraining order halting the merger
Media's AI Pivot: California judge halts the Paramount mergerBackground
Araceli Martínez-Olguín serves on the US District Court for the Northern District of California. President Joe Biden nominated her, the Senate confirmed her on 28 February 2023, and she received her commission on 3 March. She studied at Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Her early legal career included a clerkship with Judge David Briones in the Western District of Texas. [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/martinez-olguin-araceli)
Before her appointment, Martínez-Olguín practised civil rights and immigrants' rights law. Her employers included the American Civil Liberties Union, Legal Aid at Work, the US Department of Education and Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. She later became a supervising attorney at the National Immigration Law Center and also taught at Berkeley's law school. [Professional record](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/martinez-olguin-araceli)
Martínez-Olguín sets the merger trial dates
On 4 August 2026, Araceli Martínez-Olguín set 12 court days for the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger trial, beginning on 2 March 2027 and ending on 19 March. Her scheduling order covers both the state plaintiffs' case and the Writers Guild case.
The judge's August order follows the parties' July stipulation and the Court's order that the transaction would not close. She set the final pretrial conference for 24 February 2027 and required proposed findings and legal conclusions by 5 April. Those dates establish her trial timetable; the order does not decide the merger's legality or promise a closing date.
Martínez-Olguín approves the class settlement
At the 14 May 2026 Bartz hearing, Martínez-Olguín questioned the proposed legal fees and expenses before reserving her ruling. Her review concerned a class settlement over books Anthropic downloaded from LibGen and PiLiMi. The participation figure discussed in May counted claimed works, not individual people.
On 20 July 2026, she granted [final approval](https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/1eeb16db-4934-006e-40a6-38fa91285ebb/36cce252-a32c-4cbb-a624-31dd8ac9574c/2026-07-20%20Order%20Granting%20Final%20_dckt%20680_0_.pdf) to the $1.5 billion fund and awarded $101,561,111 in lawyers' fees, with a 10% holdback. Her order dismissed the case with prejudice while retaining jurisdiction over settlement administration. It resolves the approval question left open in May; it does not establish a general price for future AI content licences.
Reference
Who is Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín?
What is the Bartz v Anthropic case about?
When is the Paramount merger trial?
Did the judge block the Paramount Warner Bros merger?
Which judge is hearing the Paramount Warner Bros merger case?
Has the Anthropic copyright settlement been approved?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 22 October 2026. Editorial standards.