The Hon. Gary S. Austin is a recalled U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Fresno Division. He was appointed to the District Court in 2007 and retired in 2015. Since his retirement from the District Court, Judge Austin has served as a recalled magistrate.
He graduated with his B.A. in speech communication from California State University, Fresno in 1972. Austin went on to earn his J.D. from San Joaquin College of Law in 1976.
After graduating from law school, he clerked for the Hon. M.D. Crocker with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The following year, Austin became a deputy district attorney with the Fresno County District Attorney's Office after briefly serving as a staff attorney with the U.S. Federal Defender's Office in the Eastern District. During his tenure with the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, Austin would serve as senior deputy district attorney and lead attorney in the Career Criminal Unit from 1984 until 1986.
Then, in 1986, Austin became a judge for the Fresno County Municipal Court and two years later was elevated to the Fresno County Superior Court. During his tenure on the Superior Court bench, Austin served as the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Division. He remained on the state bench until his appointment to the District Court in 2007.
While on the District Court, Judge Austin served as the chair of the Ninth Circuit Magistrate Judge's Education Committee.
Some of his memberships have included the California Judges Association, the County of Fresno Law Library, the Fresno County Bar Association, and the California State Bar Association. He has also served as a board member of the San Joaquin Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
Some of his hobbies have included playing tennis and snow skiing.