The Honorable Lorna A. Alksne will conclude more than 20 years of service on San Diego Superior Court bench today, capping her judicial career with the recent completion of her term as presiding judge.

She first served as a pro tem judge in Juvenile Court before becoming a court commissioner handling traffic and small claims matters. She soon transferred into her specialty area of family law where she also was the supervising judge for six years. Judge Alksne spent time in almost every San Diego Superior Court location and some of her other assignments included appeals, Civil Independent Calendar and criminal trials.

Judge Alksne was elected by her peers to be Assistant Presiding Judge for a two-year term in 2018-2019. She became the third-ever female Presiding Judge in January 2020, just a few short weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the U.S.

Many of Judge Alksne’s original plans for her two-year tenure as presiding judge were derailed by the more pressing needs of addressing court operations amid an unprecedented pandemic, but her interest in expanding what was previously known as “virtual court” was fast-tracked. With emergency allowances from the Judicial Council of California for remote appearances, more than 100 virtual courtrooms were set up during the first six weeks of the pandemic. Many of those virtual courtrooms remain in operation today.

“Being in public service for the last 20 years has been a great honor. I have enjoyed all of the different assignments and locations, but my two-year term as Presiding Judge was the most rewarding,” said Judge Alksne. “I was amazed by how the entire legal community worked together in the implementation of video courtrooms to keep our courts open and I am so grateful to the Superior Court staff whose service during the pandemic was exemplary.”

“When COVID-19 forced Judge Alksne to order our courts closed on March 17, 2020, her term as Presiding Judge would thereafter be largely defined by the vagaries of this contagious and deadly disease. No Presiding Judge has ever faced a challenge of such enormity, and with no roadmap, no guidelines, and no precedents,” said Judge Michael Smyth, current San Diego Superior Court Presiding Judge. “Judge Alksne successfully led this court over one obstacle after another as it labored under the increasing weight of the pandemic. It was her leadership that brought us to where we are today – fully open for business while we work toward full recovery from the effects of the shutdown. We will forever appreciate that.”

Professionally, Judge Alksne is a longtime member of the San Diego County Bar Association, California Judge’s Association and San Diego Lawyer’s Club. She has served on several Judicial Council committees, including the Futures Commission, Family-Juvenile Advisory Committee, the Elkins Task Force and the Elkins Implementation Committee. Additionally, Judge Alksne chaired the Judicial Branch Workload Assessment Advisory Committee to the Judicial Council for 13 years. She has held faculty member positions with the Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) and the National Institute of Family Law Trial Advocacy.

Judge Alksne was recognized as Distinguished Judge of the Year by the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and as Judge of the Year by the San Diego Certified Family Law Specialists in 2009. Her law school alma mater, University of San Diego, also recognized her as Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2013. Next week, she will be honored by the San Diego Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in recognition of her service during her term as Presiding Judge. 

In retirement, Judge Alksne will remain active in private mediation and arbitration.