[3] Carney received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1983 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1987.

[5] In October 2001, Carney was appointed by California Governor Gray Davis to the bench of the Orange County Superior Court.

[6] He served on the state bench, presiding over civil and criminal trials,[6] until his appointment to the federal district court.

[11] Carney succeeded Virginia A. Phillips as Chief Judge of the Central District of California on June 1, 2020.

[8] However, he stepped down on June 26, 2020 in light of allegations that he had made racially insensitive comments regarding the Clerk of the Court, Kiry Gray, who is African American.

Carney referred to Gray as "street smart" and telling her "it was not like I was the police officer standing on your neck.