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Susan
Nolting Burke
Originally published in
the March/April 2005 issue.
Author: Marlene Garvis
Assistant U. S. Attorney Susan Nolting Burke was sworn in on
Jan. 5, 2005, as the newest judge in Hennepin County District
Court. She was elected in November 2004 to fill the seat vacated
by Judge Harvey Ginsberg. Her election marks the first time in
Minnesota that a husband and wife serve as judges on the same
state court bench.
Judge Burke brings to the bench a wealth of experience as a
federal prosecutor. She was an assistant U.S. attorney in the
U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Minnesota from 1994
to 2004. There, she practiced in the Criminal Division, in the
Major and Violent Crime Section (1994-1997), the Narcotics and
Firearms Section (1997-2002), and, most recently, in the
White-Collar Crime Section (2002-2004). Her leadership was
recognized in the Special Achievement Award for Sustained
Superior Performance of Duty that she received in 1997, and by
her position as the Asian Pacific American Special Emphasis
Program Manager from 1995 to 2004.
Prior to being a federal prosecutor in Minnesota, Judge Burke
was a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil
Division, where she conducted nationwide litigation representing
the FBI, CIA, U.S. Department of Defense, and other federal
agencies, from 1992 to 1994.
Judge Burke was born in Minneapolis and adopted through
Children’s Home Society by Earl and Judy Nolting, both of whom
are marriage and family counselors. She also has two adopted
brothers who, like Judge Burke, are Asian American.
Judge Burke graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts
degree in political science from Hanover College (Hanover,
Indiana) in 1987. At Hanover, Judge Burke was captain of the
varsity basketball, volleyball and softball teams. She was an
Academic–All American nominee in both volleyball and softball.
Judge Burke was named a National Presbyterian Scholar, and she
was awarded the Henry C. Long Citation for the Outstanding
Senior Woman, which led to her becoming one of Good
Housekeeping magazine’s 100 Outstanding Female Graduates of
1987.
Attending law school at the University of Virginia, in
Charlottesville, Judge Burke received her juris doctor degree in
1990. While a law student, Judge Burke was on the senior
editorial board of the Journal of Law and Politics, on the Board
of Directors of the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition, a
member of the University of Virginia Trial Advocacy Institute,
and the University of Virginia Law School softball commissioner.
After law school graduation, Judge Burke returned to Minnesota
to clerk for the Hon. Paul A. Magnuson, judge of the U.S.
District Court–Minnesota, from 1990 to 1992.
As a lawyer, Judge Burke has been involved in numerous bar and
community activities. With her substantial experience in the
courtroom, Judge Burke has served on the faculty of trial
schools for new and experienced federal prosecutors from all over the country, at the U.S. Department of
Justice’s National Advocacy Center. She has also taught trial
classes at the University of Minnesota Law School and continuing
legal education seminars for lawyers.
Judge Burke has served on the Board of Governors of the
Minnesota State Bar Association and the Board of Directors of
the Hennepin County Bar Association, and she is president of the
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association–Minnesota
Chapter. Her election is the first time an Asian American has
been elevated to the bench by election. She has also served on
the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association, is a
charter member of the Eighth Circuit Bar Association, and has
been an active member of Minnesota Women Lawyers since 1995,
serving on the Judicial Appointments Endorsement Committee, as
well as being a mentor for law students and young lawyers. A
member of the American Bar Association since 1991, Judge Burke
served as the lieutenant governor of the Fourth Circuit of the
ABA Law Student Division, and she was the ABA chapter president
for the University of Virginia Law School.
As an active volunteer in the Minneapolis–St. Paul community,
Judge Burke’s record includes work for the Minnesota Special
Olympics, National Amputee Golf Championship, Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure, Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation, Drug Education for Youth Camp, and service on the
Andersen Open School Board. She has also been a member of the
St. Paul Downtown Community District Council and a fourth-grade
Sunday school teacher at House of Hope Presbyterian Church.
Judge Burke believes that “the job of a district court judge is
to impartially apply the law to the facts of the case.”
Minnesota’s long tradition of mutual respect and civility
between the bench and the bar is a tradition that she intends to
continue as a judge. Finally, from her perspective as an Asian
American, Judge Burke is “keenly aware of the many cultural
issues that arise in court” and will work to ensure that the
court is accessible to persons of all backgrounds. When asked
why she wanted to give up her job as a federal prosecutor where
she was considered to be a leader in her profession, Judge
Burke’s response was “I have wanted to be a judge for a long
time…. I have seen the impact judges have on people’s lives and
I want to be able to help.”
Judge Burke is married to Judge Kevin Burke, the former chief
judge of Hennepin County District Court. They live in South
Minneapolis, with their dogs, Caddy and Mulligan. As this
edition of The Hennepin Lawyer went to press, the Burkes
were anticipating the birth of their first baby in February.
Welcome to Judge Susan Nolting Burke.
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