Ellen Bree Burns
Ellen Lucille Bree Burns (December 13, 1923 – June 3, 2019) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Ellen Bree Burns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut | |
| In office September 1, 1992 – June 3, 2019 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut | |
| In office 1988–1992 | |
| Preceded by | T. F. Gilroy Daly |
| Succeeded by | José A. Cabranes |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut | |
| In office May 18, 1978 – September 1, 1992 | |
| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Mosher Joseph Blumenfeld |
| Succeeded by | Alvin W. Thompson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ellen Lucille Bree[1] December 13, 1923 New Haven, Connecticut |
| Died | June 3, 2019 (aged 95) New Haven, Connecticut |
| Education | Albertus Magnus College (BA) Yale Law School (LLB) |
Education and career
Burns was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Albertus Magnus College in 1944. She received a Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1947.[2] She was a special assistant to the Commission to Revise the Connecticut General Statutes from 1947 to 1948. She was an attorney for Legislative Legal Services of the State of Connecticut from 1949 to 1973. She was a judge of the Circuit Court of Connecticut from 1973 to 1974. She was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Connecticut from 1974 to 1976. She was a judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1976 to 1978.[3]
Federal judicial service
Burns was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on February 15, 1978 to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut vacated by Judge Mosher Joseph Blumenfeld. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 17, 1978 and received her commission on May 18, 1978,[4] becoming the first female district judge in Connecticut.[5] She served as Chief Judge from 1988 to 1992 and assumed senior status on September 1, 1992. She took inactive senior status on March 31, 2015, meaning that while she remained a federal judge, she no longer heard cases or participated in the business of the court.[3] She died on June 3, 2019, aged 95.[6]
References
- Connecticut State Register and Manual, 1953
- "Pioneer Women: Ellen Bree Burns and Joan Glazer Margolis". Judicature. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- Ellen Bree Burns at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Sullo, Michelle Tuccitto (March 25, 2012). "Revered Judge Ellen Bree Burns, 88, still rules". The New Haven Register. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- "Pioneer Women: Ellen Bree Burns and Joan Glazer Margolis". Judicature. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- Murdock, Zach (June 3, 2019). "Ellen Bree Burns, first female federal judge in Connecticut, dies at 95". courant.com. Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
Sources
- Ellen Bree Burns at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Who's Who of International Women 2002