Judge Timothy M. Casserly will officially retire from the San Diego Superior Court today after serving on the bench for 25 years, where he held positions in Criminal and Civil Law.



“It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve the San Diego County public as a judge,” said Judge Casserly. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given this position of responsibility.”



Judge Casserly graduated from the University of Southern California School of Law in 1981. He began his legal career with the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office and moved to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office in 1986. During his 15 years as a prosecutor, he prosecuted more than 75 felony trials to verdict, including eight murder trials.



Judge Casserly spent his entire judicial career in the North County Division of the San Diego Superior Court. From 2000 to 2004, he served as North County’s criminal supervising judge. In 2004, he returned to a trial department where he conducted criminal and civil trials as well as civil settlement conferences.



From 2010 until his retirement, he served in a Civil Independent Calendar assignment, managing thousands of cases and conducting hundreds of settlement conferences.



“Settling cases is something I feel passionate about,” said Judge Casserly. “Because of the costs and uncertainties of litigation, I believe that virtually all civil cases should settle. I truly enjoy helping people get to a resolution to avoid an expensive and disappointing result at trial.”



Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, while certain in-person services were limited, Judge Casserly conducted settlement conferences via video conference on almost a daily basis.



“Judge Casserly is an excellent trial judge, however, his outstanding ability to bring even the most difficult civil cases to settlement is admirable and has been one of his most remarkable contributions to the court during his time on the bench. He will be missed.” said San Diego Superior Court Presiding Judge Lorna Alksne.



In retirement, Judge Casserly intends to spend time playing golf. He and his longtime partner will spend time riding and caring for their horses. Judge Casserly also plans to continue to follow his passion for settling cases working as a private mediator.