David Alan Ezra (born 1947) is a
senior United States district judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii (in case citations, D. Haw.) is the principal trial court of the United States federal courts, United States Federal Court System in the U.S. state, state of Hawaii. The court's terri ...
. Since January 2013, Ezra has been designated by the
Chief Justice of the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
to serve on the
, San Antonio Division to help ease the heavy workload for the federal judges in Texas.
Early life and education
Born in
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, Ezra received a
Bachelor of Business Administration from
St. Mary's University Magna Cum Laude in 1969, followed by a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from
St. Mary's University School of Law in 1972, where he graduated first in his class. He served in the US Marine Corps. He also served as a commissioned officer in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
from 1971 to 1977, and was a
law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...
in the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the
City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu County (officially known as the City and County of Honolulu, formerly Oahu County) is a consolidated city–county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city–county includes both the city of Honolulu (the state's capital and largest city) ...
in 1972.
Ezra served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966–1968 and as an Officer in the U.S. Army from 1971–1976.
Career
Ezra was in private practice in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
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.
Adjunct professor of law at the
William S. Richardson School of Law
The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is named after its patriarch, former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice William S. ...
since 1978. The University of Hawaii awarded him the UH Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. 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.
Federal judicial service
On November 18, 1987, Ezra was nominated by President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
to a seat on the
United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii (in case citations, D. Haw.) is the principal trial court of the United States federal courts, United States Federal Court System in the U.S. state, state of Hawaii. The court's terri ...
vacated by Judge
Samuel Pailthorpe King
Samuel Pailthorpe King (April 13, 1916 – December 7, 2010) was an American lawyer and judge. He served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.
Life
King was born April 13, 1916 in Ha ...
. Ezra was unanimously confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on May 19, 1988, and received his commission on May 20, 1988.
He served as Chief Judge from 1999 to 2005.
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
The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...
. Ezra also served as Secretary, Vice President, and
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
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
The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...
. 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
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...
on June 27, 2012, having served as an active judge in regular service longer than any other judge in Hawaii history.
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.
Ezra has a Chambers and Courtrooms in both San Antonio and Austin, Texas
References
Notes
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ezra, David Alan
1947 births
Living people
St. Mary's University, Texas alumni
Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan
20th-century American judges
United States Army officers
Lawyers from Columbus, Ohio
Lawyers from Honolulu
William S. Richardson School of Law faculty
21st-century American judges
United States Marines