--- title: "Michael E. Burns | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-burns-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Michael E. Burns Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court - State: Minnesota - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge Michael E. Burns is a nonpartisan district court judge for Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District, appointed in 2016 and re‐elected in 2018 and 2024, serving as Assistant Presiding Judge of the district’s Criminal Division - Past Employment: Assistant Hennepin County Attorney - Past Employment: Probation officer, Hennepin County Community Corrections - Past Employment: Associate attorney, Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, P.A - Past Employment: Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Minnesota Attorney General - Long‐serving, elected Minnesota district court judge with a background in public prosecution, legal academia, and community service - Position: Judge, Minnesota Fourth Judicial District (Position 12) - Current Role: Assistant Presiding Judge of the Fourth District’s Criminal Division - Past Employment: Adjunct professor, Hamline University ### Education - Brown University in Rhode Island — B.A. - Hamline University — M.A. - Mitchell Hamline School of Law — J.D. ### Additional information - In December 2023, he rejected an earlier plea deal for defendant Husayn Braveheart, later approving a new agreement for 41⁄2 years in prison with credit for over 1,600 days already served. - Judge Burns has been involved in high‐profile cases, such as the 2019 Minneapolis shooting of Steven Markey. - Appointed/Elected: Appointed by Governor Mark Dayton on Nov. ## 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 ### remote hearing recording Scope: statewide Minnesota Judicial Branch remote-hearing guidance says recording or broadcasting a remote proceeding is not authorized except as provided by court rules. Evidence excerpt: No recording or broadcasting of any remote proceeding is authorized other than as provided by court rules. [Remote Hearing Information](https://mncourts.gov/remote-hearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### camera audio recording devices Scope: statewide Minnesota court guidance cites Rule 4 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice and says pictures or voice recordings are not allowed except the official court record. Evidence excerpt: According to Rule 4 of the MN Rules of General Practice for the District Courts, no pictures or voice recordings [Security & Weapons Screening - Going to Court](https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/hennepin/going-to-court/security-weapons-screening) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/04-district/michael-e.-burns) - [Official roster](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/04-district/michael-e.-burns) - [Minnesota Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/04-district/michael-e.-burns) - [Remote Hearing Information](https://mncourts.gov/remote-hearings) - [Security & Weapons Screening - Going to Court](https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/hennepin/going-to-court/security-weapons-screening) - [Judge Michael E. Burns](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/04-district/michael-e.-burns) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-burns-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-burns-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn", "name": "Michael E. Burns | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael E. Burns, Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-03", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-burns-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-burns-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn#judge", "name": "Michael E. 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Burns", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-burns-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Remote Hearing Information](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-5920703a4c3a43b48164d80e) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://mncourts.gov/remote-hearings). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Security & Weapons Screening - Going to Court](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-c45898f557aa190822c0bdd8) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/hennepin/going-to-court/security-weapons-screening). Collected 2026-07-26.