Kevin S. Burke

Kevin Burke was a District Judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Judge Burke was elected for four terms as Chief Judge and three terms as Assistant Chief Judge. From 1991-1996 he served as the Chair of the Conference of Chief Judges. He chaired the State Board of Public Defense, and was a leader in the effort to improve and expand the state's public defender system.

In 1997 he received the Director's Community Leadership Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2002 the National Center for State Courts awarded him the Distinguished Service Award. In 2003 he was selected as the William H. Rehnquist Award recipient by the National Center for State Courts. THe Rehnquist Award is presented annually to a state judge who exemplifies the highest level of judicial excellence, integrity, fairness and professional ethics. He was awarded Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine in 2004. In 2005 the Minnesota Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates named him trial judge of the year. He presently serves on the executive committee of the American Judges Association and the advisory board of the University of Denver's Institute for the advancement of the American Legal System.

Judge Burke teaches trial practice at the University of Minnesota Law School and criminal procedure at the University of St. Thomas Law School. He has been a speaker in many states as well as Canada, Mexico, China, India and Ireland regarding improvement in judicial administration.

He served on IAALS' Board of Advisors until 2016.