Halil Suleyman Ozerden
Sul Ozerden | |
|---|---|
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| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi | |
| Assumed office November 4, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel P. Jordan III |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi | |
| Assumed office May 1, 2007 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | David C. Bramlette |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Halil Suleyman Ozerden December 5, 1966 Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | Georgetown University (BS) Stanford University (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1989–1995 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Operation Restore Hope Operation Southern Watch |
| Awards | |
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Halil Suleyman "Sul" Ozerden (Turkish: Halil Süleyman Özerden; born December 5, 1966) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and a former nominee to be a circuit judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Early life and education
[edit]Ozerden was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to a Turkish family. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. Sul was a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship student, serving as battalion executive officer (1989). Upon receiving his commission as a naval officer, he completed United States Navy Flight School in Pensacola, Florida, from 1989 to 1990, and was designated a naval flight officer. Ozerden obtained his Juris Doctor in 1998 from Stanford Law School, and served as associate editor for the Stanford Law Review.
Military Service
[edit]Ozerden served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy from 1989 to 1995. His military service included: naval flight officer/bombardier-navigator, A-6E Intruder; over 1,000 flight hours; mission commander qualified; two six-month Western Pacific deployments aboard the USS Kitty Hawk; head of Safety Department; Navy Commendation Medal for missions flown in Operation Restore Hope (Somalia) and Operation Southern Watch (Iraq); and the Navy Achievement Medal. He was honorably discharged with the rank of lieutenant (O-3).[2][3]
Legal Career
[edit]Ozerden began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1998 to 1999 and also served as a private practice attorney licensed in Mississippi from 1999 to 2007.
Federal judicial service
[edit]On the recommendation of United States Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, President George W. Bush nominated Ozerden to be a United States district judge of the Southern District of Mississippi on January 8, 2007. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 24, 2007 by a 95–0 vote.[4] He received his commission on May 1, 2007.[5] He became chief judge on November 4, 2024.[6]
In 2023, Ozerden sided with a lawsuit filed by an anti-vaccine group to overturn Mississippi's long-standing and strict vaccination requirements. Ozerden forced Mississippi to allow parents to decline vaccinations for their children on religious grounds. At the time, Mississippi law had since 1979 not allowed parents to exempt their children from vaccinations, except for medical reasons. This had resulted in Mississippi having one of the highest vaccination rates in the United States, with 99% of kindergarteners being immunized.[7]
Failed nomination to appellate court
[edit]On June 11, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Ozerden to serve as a United States circuit judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.[8] On June 24, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. He was nominated to the seat vacated by E. Grady Jolly, who assumed senior status on October 3, 2017.[9] On July 17, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] On September 12, 2019, Senator Ted Cruz announced his opposition to the nomination.[11] The Judiciary Committee was scheduled to vote on recommending Ozerden on September 26, 2019, but the vote was postponed after Senator Josh Hawley joined Ted Cruz in his opposition to Ozerden's elevation to the court of appeals.[12] On January 3, 2020, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.[13]
Memberships
[edit]Ozerden became a member of the Federalist Society in 2019.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Halil Suleyman Ozerden
- ^ "Ozerden, Halil Suleyman | Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "First Turkish American United States District Judge". www.tc-america.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Halil Suleyman Ozerden, of Mississippi, to be U.S. District Judge)". United States Senate. April 24, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Halil Suleyman Ozerden at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "Chief District Judge Sul Ozerden" (Press release). United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ "How a well-timed legal assault unraveled Mississippi's stellar record in vaccinating kids". NBC News. 2023-12-16.
- ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" White House, June 11, 2019
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Thirteen Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate", White House, June 24, 2019
- ^ "Nominations", United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for July 17, 2019
- ^ Everett, Burgess; Levine, Marianne; Johnson, Eliana (12 September 2019). "Ted Cruz will oppose Trump's judicial nominee". POLITICO. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ "Senate Judiciary shelves vote on Trump judicial pick after conservative opposition". Politico. September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "PN896 - Nomination of Halil Suleyman Ozerden for The Judiciary, 116th Congress (2019–2020)". www.congress.gov. 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
External links
[edit]- Halil Suleyman Ozerden at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- District Judge Sul Ozerden
- Justice Department resume
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1966 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American lawyers
- American people of Turkish descent
- Georgetown University alumni
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
- Military personnel from Mississippi
- Mississippi lawyers
- People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi
- Stanford Law School alumni
- United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush
- United States Navy officers
- United States Naval Flight Officers
- Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni