Another Central District judge takes senior status

SANTA ANA -- U.S. District Judge James V. Selna is now on senior status, a move he said will allow him to focus more on antitrust and patent cases.

The 17-year bench veteran said he informed the White House in a letter sent Tuesday, adding he'll "continue to render substantial judicial service."

Selna's departure from full-time active status comes at an already dire time for the Central District of California caseload. Chief Judge Virginia A. Phillips warned federal officials in October the number of vacancies is a "crisis of unprecedented magnitude." Senior U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford has since fully retired, and Senior U.S. District Judge S. James Otero is to fully retire in April.

Selna's senior status gives President Donald J. Trump another vacancy to fill, but the judge told the Daily Journal he'll still shoulder a substantial caseload. His focus on patent and antitrust also will include cases around the country as a visiting judge through the Judicial Conference's Committee on Intercircuit Assignments, which he said will be "kind of fun."

Selna spent nearly 30 years at O'Melveny & Myers LLP, handling major cases, such as the antitrust cases against IBM, before Gov. Pete Wilson nominated him to the Orange County Superior Court in 1998. President George W. Bush nominated him to the U.S. District Court in 2003.

As a senior judge, Selna said he'll keep his current cases and remain in the Central District's Patent Pilot Program, adding he'll stay on senior status "for the foreseeable future."

"I'm fortunate my health is good, and I enjoy what I'm doing, and I'd like to do a little more of the things I enjoy the most," Selna said.

"One of the reasons I enjoy the patent work is the lawyers are specialized; they're very knowledgeable," he continued. "And by and large it's a small bar and they're very collegial, which is always pleasant for a trial judge."

Selna, who recently celebrated his 75th birthday, also said he plans to travel more with his wife. They recently had a cruise planned in April to Tokyo to Singapore with two stops in China, but the entire cruise was canceled because of coronavirus concerns.

He also wants to continuing enjoying "the theater of the courtroom."

"Every trial is a theater experience in some sense, and you never know what's going to happen," Selna said. "It's an exciting, real time place."