A California judge is about to step into the national spotlight by taking over the federal case against Arizona resident Jared Loughner.
Loughner is accused of killing six people and injuring 14 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, in a shooting rampage in a Safeway parking lot in Tucson.
Judge Larry A. Burns of the Southern District of California will now oversee the case. The designation of Judge Burns was made by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the United States Court of Appeals in an order filed Wednesday.
The move came after all federal judges in Arizona recused themselves from the case because one of the victims, U.S. District Judge John Roll, was a well known sitting judge in Arizona.
It isn't clear whether the reassignment means that the case will physically move out of Arizona and into California. So far, there is no evidence that anyone has filed an official change of venue.
