George P. Kazen

George Philip Kazen (February 29, 1940 – April 27, 2021) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas from 1979 to 2018.

George P. Kazen
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
In office
May 31, 2009 – March 9, 2018
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
In office
1996–2003
Preceded byNorman William Black
Succeeded byHayden Wilson Head Jr.
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
In office
May 11, 1979 – May 31, 2009
Appointed byJimmy Carter
Preceded bySeat established by 92 Stat. 1629
Succeeded byDiana Saldaña
Personal details
Born
George Philip Kazen

(1940-02-29)February 29, 1940
Laredo, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 27, 2021(2021-04-27) (aged 81)
Laredo, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BBA, JD)

Born in Laredo, Texas, Kazen received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas in 1960 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1961. He was a briefing attorney for the Texas Supreme Court from 1961 to 1962, and was then a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, JAG Corps, from 1962 to 1965. He was in private practice in Laredo, Texas from 1965 to 1979.[1]

On March 7, 1979, Kazen was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 10, 1979, and received his commission the following day. He served as chief judge from 1996 to 2003.[1] He served as a judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 2003 to 2010.[2] He assumed senior status on May 31, 2009.[1] Kazen was an adjunct professor of law at St. Mary's University Law School from 1990 to 2021. After his retirement in 2018, the federal courthouse in Laredo was renamed in his honor.[3][4] He died on April 27, 2021, aged 81.[5]

Kazen's uncle, Abraham Kazen, was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1967 to 1985.[6]

Shortly following his retirement in 2018, Kazen's son John was named as a magistrate judge of the Southern District of Texas.[7] On August 30, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate John A. Kazen to a full district judgeship on the same court.[8]

References
  1. George P. Kazen at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. "FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE COURT FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE COURT OF REVIEW | Current and Past Members | April 2023" (PDF). April 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  3. "GSA, Senator Cornyn, Congressman Cuellar and Judiciary host dedication ceremony for federal courthouse in Laredo". U.S. General Services Administration. November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  4. "Federal courthouse officially named after Judge Kazen". KGNS. November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  5. Wallace, Julia (2021-04-28). "Former federal judge George P. Kazen dies". Laredo Morning Times. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  6. "KAZEN, Abraham, Jr. US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov.
  7. "New Kazen set to carry on the legacy of federal judge". KGNS. August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. "President Biden Names Thirty-Seventh Round of Judicial Nominees and Announces One New Nominee to Serve as U.S. Marshal" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
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