M. James Lorenz

M. James Lorenz (born 1935) is a Senior United States district court judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.

Born in Pasadena, California, Lorenz received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1957 and a J.D. from California Western School of Law in 1965, where he was a member of the Campbell E. Beaumont Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta.

Lorenz was a Deputy district attorney of San Diego County District Attorney's Office, CA from 1966 to 1978. He was a U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California from 1978 to 1981. He was a First assistant, United States Attorney from 1978 to 1980. He was a Court appointed U.S. Attorney from 1980 to 1981. He was in private practice in San Diego, CA from 1982 to 1999.

Lorenz was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Lorenz was nominated by President Bill Clinton on March 8, 1999, to a seat vacated by Rudi M. Brewster. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 1, 1999, and received commission on October 5, 1999. He assumed senior status on October 25, 2009.