David Alan Ezra (born June 27, 1947)[1] is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. Since January 2013, Ezra has been designated by the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court to serve on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio and Austin Divisions to help ease the heavy workload for the federal judges in Texas. Judge Ezra is often designated to sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit where he holds the record for the most designated sittings of any judge in that Court’s history.[2]
Early life and education
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Ezra’s family moved to Hawaii when he was quite young and he grew up in Hawaii. Ezra graduated from St. Louis High School in Honolulu and received a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Mary's University magna cum laude in 1969, followed by a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1972, where he graduated first in his class.[3] He served in the US Marine Corps from 1966-1968. He also served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army from 1971 to 1976.
Career
Ezra was in private practice in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1972 to 1988 becoming a partner in the law firm of Anthony, Hoddick, Reinwald, and O'Connor in 1980. Ezra became the Managing Partner of the law firm of Ezra, O'Connor, Moon and Tam in 1981.[4] He was an adjunct professor of law at the William S. Richardson School of Law from 1978 to 2013. He has been the jurist in residence at St. Mary’s University School of Law since 2016. The University of Hawaii awarded him the UH Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.[5] In 2007 St. Mary's University Awarded Ezra their Rosewood Gavel Award and in 2013 St. Mary's University School of Law awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award.[6]
Federal judicial service
On November 18, 1987, Ezra was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii vacated by Judge Samuel Pailthorpe King. Ezra was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on May 19, 1988, and received his commission on May 20, 1988.[4] He served as chief judge from 1999 to 2005.[7]
Ezra was the youngest federal judge ever appointed to the District of Hawaii and the first federal judge from Hawaii to be elected to the Judicial Conference of the United States. Ezra also served as Secretary, Vice President, and President of the District Judges Association of the Ninth Circuit and served multiple terms on the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council. He also served as Vice President of the Federal Judges Association and remains a member of the Board of Directors. Ezra was appointed and served on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and was its long range planning chairman. In 2010 Ezra was appointed to the Council on Budget and Finance of the Judicial Conference of the United States. In 2023 Ezra was appointed to the Committee which oversees Oscar, the federal judicial law clerk hiring system. Ezra continues to be designated to serve on federal courts both within and outside the Ninth Circuit, particularly in complex cases, and is often designated to sit on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals where he holds the record for the most designated sittings of any judge in that Court’s history. He assumed senior status on June 27, 2012, having served as an active judge in regular service longer than any other judge in Hawaii history.[8] Ezra continues to carry a full caseload.
In January 2013, Ezra was designated by the Chief Justice John Roberts to the Western District of Texas, San Antonio and Austin Divisions, to help ease the heavy workload for the federal judges in that state.[2] Ezra maintains chambers and courtrooms in both San Antonio and Austin, Texas.
In September, 2023, Ezra ruled that a controversial floating border barrier in the Rio Grande River violates federal law and must be removed. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had ordered deployment of the floating barrier in July as part of Operation Lone Star, his multibillion-dollar effort to fight illegal immigration and smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico border.[9]
Ezra is currently[when?] presiding over United States v. Texas, a legal challenge to Texas Senate Bill 4 which empowers state and local police officers to arrest migrants who cross from Mexico without authorization. [10] Ezra struck down S.B. 4 in February, and the 5th circuit affirmed Ezra's ruling on March 26. [11]
References
- ^ Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments: Hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, First Session, Part 7. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1989. p. 222.
- ^ a b "Hawaiian Judge Coming to Alamo City". San Antonio Express News. December 26, 2012.
- ^ "Bio: The Honorable David A. Ezra (Retired), Lecturer in Law". University of Hawaii. William S. Richardson School of Law. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ a b David Alan Ezra at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "2013 UH Founders Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award". University of Hawaii Alumni Association. 2013.
- ^ "St. Mary's Graduates 295 Law Students". St. Mary's University. 2013.
- ^ "Former attorney general, prosecutors nominated for federal judge". Honolulu Star Advertiser. June 16, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ Zimmerman, Malia (February 21, 2012). "Hawaii's Longest Serving Active Federal Judge – David Ezra – Moves to Senior Status This Summer, But Controversial Cases Still on His Docket". Hawaii Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ "The floating border barrier in the Rio Grande must be removed, a federal judge rules".
- ^ "TA Legal Showdown on the Border Between the U.S. and Texas: What to Know".
- ^ "24-50149 United States of America vs. State of Texas" (PDF). ca5.uscourts.gov. March 26, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
Notes
- ^ Since taking senior status, Ezra has sat with the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
Sources
- David Alan Ezra at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
