Ewing Werlein Jr. (born September 14, 1936) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Houston, Texas, Werlein received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University in 1958 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Texas School of Law in 1961. He was in private practice in Houston in 1961, and then served as a first lieutenant Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps from 1961 to 1964, continuing to serve as a United States Air Force Reserve captain from 1964 to 1971. He returned to private practice in Houston from 1964 to 1992.

Federal judicial service

Texas Senator

Phil Gramm William Philip Gramm (born July 8, 1942) is an American economist and politician who represented Texas in both chambers of Congress. Though he began his political career as a Democrat, Gramm switched to the Republican Party in 1983. Gramm was ...

recommended Werlein for nomination to the federal bench. On November 20, 1991, Werlein was nominated by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas created by 104 Stat. 5089. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 8, 1992, and received his commission on April 13, 1992. He assumed senior status on January 1, 2006.

Important cases

* In 1995, Werlein declared a mistrial in the only trial resulting from a nineteenth-month FBI

bribery Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...

investigation of NASA (all other defendants having pleaded guilty to charges)."Mistrial Declared in NASA Contract Bribe Case", '' The New York Times'' (June 30, 1995). The case was dismissed after the jury deadlocked at 9 to 3 in favor of a conviction, unable to agree on the meaning of "

entrapment Entrapment is a practice in which a law enforcement agent or agent of the state induces a person to commit a "crime" that the person would have otherwise been unlikely or unwilling to commit.''Sloane'' (1990) 49 A Crim R 270. See also agent provo ...

". * In 1996, Werlein presided over the trial of Juan García Abrego, a

drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin or narcotrafficker is a high-ranking crime boss who controls a sizable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly ...

who was "once reportedly responsible for a third of the cocaine entering the United States".Bruce Nichols, "Abrego convicted of conspiracy, drug charges, money laundering", '' The Dallas Morning News'' (October 17, 1996). Abrego was convicted on multiple counts, and later sentenced by Werlein to 11 consecutive terms of life in prison. * In 1997, Werlein reduced what was at the time "the largest

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

verdict in history", a $222.7 million award against

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, to $22.7 million. * From 2004 to 2008, Werlein presided over the criminal prosecution of three British bankers implicated in the

Enron scandal The Enron scandal was an accounting scandal involving Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas. Upon being publicized in October 2001, the company declared bankruptcy and its accounting firm, Arthur Andersen then on ...

, culminating in their guilty pleas in 2007. On February 22, 2008, Werlein sentenced each defendant to 37 months in prison and told them they would have to redeem themselves and "pay[] back Royal Bank of Scotland every dollar or, over there, every pound." * On October 20, 2010, Werlein blocked a request for the release of a videotape of an alleged beating of Chad Holley by five members of the Houston Police Department.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Werlein, Ewing Jr. 1936 births Living people Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Southern Methodist University alumni United States district court judges appointed by George H. W. Bush 20th-century American judges United States Air Force officers University of Texas School of Law alumni 21st-century American judges