Orange County federal judge takes senior status

SANTA ANA -- U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford is now on senior status, a move he announced in a June 26 letter to President Donald J. Trump that said he would "continue to render substantial judicial service."

Guilford retired from his active full-time judgeship on Friday, 13 years after he took the oath of office. He told the Daily Journal he would keep a large caseload as the Central District of California continues to deal with a huge docket.

"It's a good time to catch up with my caseload but have a little more flexibility with my calendar," he said. "There's just a lot of things to do in the world, and things I want to still get done."

He said he would remain one of six Central District judges in pilot program aimed at streamlining patent cases

A longtime Orange County resident, Guilford's high-profile cases include the 2009 corruption trial of Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona and former Angels baseball star Douglas DeCinces' 2017 trial for insider trading. DeCinces is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 12.

"I want to keep track of the court's overall caseload and see how it's coming," Guilford said. "We really, really, really need new judges. So I'm sticking around since we don't have new judges."

He said he is looking forward to spending more time with friends and family, including three grandchildren, but he has no plans for full retirement.

"We'll just see how this step works and see if there will be another step," Guilford said.

-- Meghann Cuniff