Mark Raymond Hornak (born March 31, 1956) is the Chief United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, W.D. Pa.) is a federal trial court that sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal ...

Early life and education

Born on March 31, 1956, in

Homestead, Pennsylvania Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the Monongahela River valley southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the ...

, Hornak earned 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 in 1978 from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and a Juris Doctor in 1981 from the

University of Pittsburgh School of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) was founded in 1895. It became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900. Its primary home facility is the Barco Law Building. The school offers four degrees: Master ...

Career

From 1981 until 1982, he served as a law clerk to Judge James Marshall Sprouse of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...

, in Charleston, West Virginia. From 1982 until 1988, Hornak served as an associate at the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

law firm Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney. From 1988 until his federal judicial confirmation, he was a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

with the firm, specializing in

civil litigation Civil law is a major branch of the law.Glanville Williams. '' Learning the Law''. Eleventh Edition. Stevens. 1982. p. 2. In common law legal systems such as England and Wales and the United States, the term refers to non-criminal law. The law ...

labor and employment law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

, media defense, and governmental representation. For 15 years, he also was solicitor of the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. From 1989 to 1993, he was an adjunct professor at the

Federal judicial service

On December 1, 2010, President Obama nominated Hornak to fill a judicial vacancy on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania that had been created by the transition to

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 ...

in November 2010 by Judge Donetta Ambrose. The United States Senate confirmed Hornak in a

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

on October 19, 2011. He received his commission that same day. He became Chief Judge on December 7, 2018.

Personal

Hornak has been married since 1981. He has five children.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornak, Mark R. 1956 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers American people of Slovak descent Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania Lawyers from Pittsburgh People associated with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney People from Homestead, Pennsylvania United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama University of Pittsburgh alumni University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni