Alex Kozinski

Alex Kozinski
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Current Court Information:
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Title:	Chief Judge
Station:	Pasadena, CA
Service:
Appointed by:	Ronald Reagan
Active:	11/7/1985 - Present
Chief:	2007-Current
Past post:	Court of Federal Claims
Past chief:	1982-1985
Past term:	1982-1985
Personal History
Born:	July 23, 1950
Home State:	Bucharest, Romania
Bachelors:	UCLA 1972
Law School:	UCLA School of Law 1975

Alex Kozinski is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on June 5, 1985 and received his commission on November 7, 1985. In 2007, Kozinski was elevated to the position of chief judge.

Early life and education

Kozinski was born in Bucharest, Romania but his parents, both Holocaust survivors, brought him to America in 1962. They settled in Los Feliz, Los Angeles and his father, Moses, ran a small grocery store there. According to Kozinski, he was a "very committed communist" while a boy in Romania, and he was eager to move to the United States to "educate workers of the West that they were being enslaved by capitalist exploiters."

Kozinski received his B.A. in economics from UCLA in 1972 and his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1975. he went on to clerk for then-Ninth Circuit Judge Anthony M. Kennedy and Chief Justice Warren Burger.

Professional career

• 2007-Present: Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• 1985-2007: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• 1982-1985: Chief Judge, United States Court of Claims
• 1981-1982: Special Counsel, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board
• 1981: Assistant Counsel, Office of Counsel to the President
• 1979-1981: Attorney, private practice in Washington, D.C.
• 1977-1979: Attorney, private practice in Los Angeles, California
• 1976-1977: Law Clerk for Justice Warren Burger
• 1975-1976: Law Clerk for (then) Judge Anthony Kennedy

Judicial career

Kozinski's first judicial appointment was as chief judge at the newly-formed United States Court of Federal Claims in 1982. In 1985, age 35, Kozinski was appointed to a new seat at the Ninth Circuit by Ronald Reagan, making him the youngest federal appeals court judge in the country. Defending the court against criticism because of a controversial decision, Kozinski went on record emphasizing judicial independence:

“

It seems to me that this is what makes this country truly great -- that we can have a judiciary where the person who appoints you doesn't own you.

”

On November 30, 2007, Judge Kozinski received the gavel as the tenth Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judicial philosophy

It is difficult to pin down Judge Kozinski's judicial philosophy, which he apparently relishes. He states, "I disagree with the liberals on the bench half of the time and the conservatives the other half." Though he is widely considered a staunch supporter of free speech, Kozinski has also said, "I am not categorically always on the side of free speech or privacy or anything else."

“

In theory, in a purely minimalist libertarian state, one would have the most efficient, most productive economy. However, there may well be political forces in our society such that the closer you get to minimal government, the more some people get dissatisfied with their own situation and expect government to come in and forge solutions. If it doesn’t, you get social upheaval that might well change the system radically rather than in the small way that government does.

”

Notable cases

MLB steriods case

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
On September 2, 2009, Judge Kozinski ordered the preservation of evidence that proved 104 Major League Baseball players tested positive for steroids in 2003. The ruling came after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal agents incorrectly seized information on 104 players when the warrant authorized that only authorities could get information on 10 players.

Ira Isaacs mistrial

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

In June 2008, Judge Kozinski declared a mistrial and then recused himself from a case involving filmmaker Ira Isaacs. Isaacs was charged with breaking U.S. obscenity laws by distributing pornographic movies that depict extreme fetishes. During the trial, it was discovered by the Associated Press that Judge Kozinski had sexually explicit material on his personal website. After the website was made public, the judge said that the videos were posted by his son in a statement. Furthermore, Kozinski blocked public access to the site. In 2009, Judge Kozinski was cleared of judicial misconduct after receiving an admonishment.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

External links

• Biographical Directory of Federal Judges: Alex Kozinski from the Federal Judicial Center
• The Unofficial Judge Alex Kozinski Site: Comprehensive source for writings, press mentions, and more.
• Newsmeat, Campaign contributions made by Judge Alex Kozinski
• The Los Angeles Times, "A new No. 1 at the 9th Circuit," November 30, 2007
• [http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/hottie_judge_kozinski_continues_joke_in_press_release/ ABA Journal, "'Hottie' Judge Kozinski Continues Joke in Press Release," November 28, 2007
• Reason.com, "Searching for Alex Kozinski," July 2006
• The New York Times, "Judge Kozinski's 'Nomination Letter'," November 15, 2005
• HowAppealing.com, Interview with Judge Kozinski

References

Federal judicial offices
Preceded by: NA - new seat	Court of Federal Claims 1982–1985	Succeeded by: '
Preceded by: NA - new seat	Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals 1985–present	Succeeded by: NA