USD Law Alumnus U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ’79 (JD) Retiring from Bench and Joining Judicate West

SAN DIEGO (May 3, 2024) ­­– Set to retire on Monday, May 6, 2004 after 27 years on the federal bench, University of San Diego (USD) School of Law alumnus U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ‘79 (JD) was profiled in April 28, 2024, issue of the The San Diego Union-Tribune.

During his career, Judge Burns presided over some of the highest-profile cases in California, including the bribery case of former Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham; the dismantling of Tijuana’s Arrelano Félix; and the trial of Jared Lee Loughner who pleaded guilty to the mass shooting at a public appearance of Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords. 

In the last two decades, Judge Burns has presided over 326 jury trials. Chief U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw told the Union-Tribune, “When you look at the span of his career as a lawyer and a judge, it’s remarkable — he's always the best at what he does. He’s exceptionally bright, deeply principled, loyal, a good friend. He has a wonderful sense of humor. He leaves an indelible imprint on our court, which will not be the same without him.”

Prior to his appointment to the bench in 1997, Judge Burns was a San Diego County deputy district attorney for 6 years and an assistant U.S. attorney for 12 years. Of his time as a prosecutor, Sherri Walker Hobson, who worked with Judge Burns for several years, said, “I learned very quickly that he was the top prosecutor in the office. He had a unique ability to adapt to unexpected trial events, like a government witness identifying another person in the courtroom as the robber.”

With a reputation as a harsh sentencer, Judge Burns noted that while his sentences may have been higher than the San Diego average, they were lower than the average sentences given nationwide. Matthew Binninger, a local private defense attorney who appeared in front of Judge Burns several times, said, “Although he was notorious for being a tough judge at sentencing, he was arguably the best judge you could pull for trial. He treated both parties equally, he was committed to ensuring a fair trial, and he never punished my clients if they lost for choosing to exercise their constitutional rights.”

Regarding his retirement from the federal judgeship which is a lifetime position, Judge Burns explained, “There’s an old adage that it’s always better to leave when people think well of you then to have to leave when that perception is turned and people are asking questions. Nobody is asking questions about my competency to do what I’m doing at this point. So it’s a good time to go.”

Not retiring completely, Judge Burns will be joining the firm Judicate West as a mediator and arbitrator. “Judge Burns is a fantastic settlement and trial judge, and few have the resume he does -- from deep trial experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney to more than two-and-a-half decades on the bench presiding over hundreds of cases. He is the third Article 3 judge on our roster,” said Mark Kaufman, Executive Vice President of Market Development for Judicate West. “Judge Burns is well liked throughout the San Diego legal community and is one of the most well-respected judicial officers in the state. To say we are excited to have him on the Judicate West team would be an understatement.”

Judge Burns received USD School of Law’s Distinguished Alumni award - the law school’s highest honor - in 2019. View Judge Burns’ honoree video.

Excerpts taken from The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Read full San Diego Union-Tribune article (subscription required).

About the University of San Diego School of Law

Each year, USD educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest law and taxation.

USD School of Law is one of the 84 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 30th nationally among U.S. law faculties in scholarly impact and 41st nationally in past-year faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.