U.S. District Judge Ellen Bree Burns died Monday. Burns was Connecticut’s first female federal judge.
President Jimmy Carter nominated Burns to the bench in 1978. She served for nearly four decades, including as chief judge of the federal courts in Connecticut.
She presided over some big criminal cases, including former state treasurer Paul Silvester’s racketeering and money laundering conviction.
Burns retired from the bench in 2015. She was 95-years-old.
