Larry Alan Burns

In 1997, Burns was appointed to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He was nominated as a United States District Judge by President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003, to a new seat on the Southern District of California created by 116 Stat. 1758. The American Bar Association unanimously rated him "well qualified" for the position, its highest rating. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 24, 2003 by a vote of 91-0. He received his commission on September 25, 2003. He became Chief Judge on January 23, 2019 after Barry Ted Moskowitz assumed senior status. Burns assumed senior status on January 22, 2021 and retired on May 1, 2024. He joined Judicate West, a prominent private dispute resolution firm in San Diego, on the same day.

On March 17, 2020, Burns declared a judicial emergency in the Southern District of California for one month, due to the COVID-19 epidemic. On April 2, the 9th Circuit's Judicial Council permitted the judicial emergency to be extended for one year, until April 17, 2021.