--- title: "Christopher J. Burke | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/christopher-j-burke-delaware-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Christopher J. Burke U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware - State: Delaware - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge Burke has held the role of a United States Magistrate Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware since 2011 - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Delaware, 2006–2011-08 - Prior to his judicial appointment, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Delaware from 2005 to 2011, and earlier worked as an associate at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C., from 2001 to 2005. - Law Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (to Kenneth F. Ripple) - He also held the role of a law clerk for Judge Kenneth F. Ripple of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ### Education - J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2000 and his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in 1997. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, D. Delaware, 2011-present - Practitioner, Covington & Burling, 2001–2005 - J.D. — Univ. of Michigan — 2000 - B.A. — Georgetown Univ. — 1997 - handling a wide range of civil litigation, including a significant number of patent cases - overseeing matters from initial stages through expert discovery, summary judgment, and trial proceedings. - Widely recognized for his intelligence, thoroughness, fairness, and mentorship. - His courtroom is known for being accessible to newer attorneys and the public, with teleconference and videoconference options available - In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Burke serves as Chairman of the Federal Trial Practice Seminar, a program for trial skills development sponsored by the District Court and the Federal Bar Association’s Delaware Chapter. - He presides over the District Court’s criminal Re-entry Court, providing oversight and support to individuals on federal supervised release, and assists in administering the Federal Civil Panel, which represents indigent parties in civil cases. - He also created and oversees the High School Summer Fellowship Program, mentoring high school students in New Castle County and exposing them to federal court operations ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=20) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=20) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=20) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9136/christopher-j-burke/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9136/christopher-j-burke/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Christopher J. Burke](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9136/christopher-j-burke/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Christopher J. Burke](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/christopher-j-burke-delaware-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/christopher-j-burke-delaware-us-magistrate", "name": "Christopher J. Burke | KnowJudges", "description": "Christopher J. Burke, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.