Frank Ramirez Zapata (born July 1, 1944) is a senior United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Arizona The United States District Court for the District of Arizona (in case citations, D. Ariz.) is the U.S. district court that covers the state of Arizona. It is under the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The District was est ...

Early life and education

Zapata was born in Safford, Arizona. He received an Associate of Arts degree from

Eastern Arizona College Eastern Arizona College (EAC), is a community college in Graham County, Arizona. The main campus is in Thatcher, with satellite locations in Gila County, and Greenlee County. It is the oldest community college in Arizona and the only community ...

in 1964, a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

in 1966, and a Juris Doctor from the

University of Arizona College of Law University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law is the law school at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona and was the first law school founded in the State of Arizona, opening its doors in 1915. Also known as University of Ar ...

in 1973.

Career

Zapata was a Staff attorney of Pima County Legal Aid Society, Arizona from 1973 to 1974. He was an Assistant federal public defender, Arizona from 1974 to 1984. He was a Chief assistant federal public defender, Arizona from 1984 to 1994. He was an Assistant adjunct professor, University of Arizona College of Law from 1988 to 1990.

Federal judicial service

Zapata served as a

United States magistrate judge In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduc ...

of the

from 1994 to 1996. He was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

on March 29, 1996, to a seat vacated by Judge Richard Mansfield Bilby. He was 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 July 31, 1996, and received his commission on August 1, 1996. He took

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on August 3, 2010.

Awards and recognition

In 2013, Zapata received the Public Service Award from the University of Arizona Alumni Association

References

Sources