Judge Thomas Hogan to Receive the U.S. Federal Judiciary's Highest Honor

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Honorable Thomas F. Hogan, District Judge of the United States District Court, District of Columbia, has been selected as the recipient of the 30th Annual Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award.  Judge Hogan was chosen by a three-member panel chaired by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court.  Other members of the panel were Chief Judge Joel F. Dubina of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and Chief Judge Lisa Godbey Wood of the United States District Court, Southern District of Georgia.

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"I am incredibly honored and humbled to be selected as this year's recipient of the Devitt Award," Judge Hogan said.  "In my 30 years in the federal judiciary – as a U.S. District Judge and as Director of the Administrative Office – I have been surrounded by outstanding and dedicated men and women who have been instrumental to my success.  I am pleased to share this recognition with them."

Judge Hogan was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in August 1982 by President Ronald Reagan, and he served as Chief Judge from 2001 until 2008, when he assumed senior status.  From 2001 to 2008, Judge Hogan also served as a member of the United States Judicial Conference, the policy-making body for the federal court system.  In 2001, the late Chief Justice

William H. Rehnquist appointed Judge Hogan to the Judicial Conference's Executive Committee, and from 2005 to 2008, Judge Hogan served as the Committee's Chair.  In 2008, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., appointed Judge Hogan to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), and in 2011, appointed him as Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. 

During his career on the bench, Judge Hogan has presided over numerous significant and historical cases, including one of the largest antitrust cases in history, the historic multi-billion-dollar settlement of Native American Indians' claims against the federal government, large-scale criminal conspiracies, and several complex national and international multi-district cases.  In 2010, Chief Justice Roberts presented Judge Hogan with the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the District of Columbia Circuit, which "honors a senior practicing judge or lawyer whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession."  Judge Hogan continues to serve as a district judge, member of the FISC, and Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

Dwight D. Opperman, former Chairman of West Publishing Company and creator of WestLaw, launched the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award to honor the late Edward J. Devitt, longtime chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and all other Article III judges.  The award recognizes jurists whose careers have been exemplary and can be measured by their significant contributions to the administration of justice, the advancement of the rule of law and the improvement of society as a whole. Like the Nobel Prize in its field, the Devitt Award is considered the highest honor that is bestowed upon a federal judge.

The Devitt Award is wholly owned, sponsored and administered by The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation. "Our objective is to preserve, protect and promote The U.S. Constitution and all that it stands for," said the foundation's president, Julie Chrystyn Opperman.  "Judge Hogan is a prime example of what it takes to help make ours a just society.  By receiving this year's Devitt Award, he joins a proud and distinguished group of noble men and women indeed."

The award honors Article III judges whose careers have been exemplary, measured by their significant contributions to the administration of justice, the advancement of the rule of law, and the improvement of society as a whole.

Judge Hogan will be honored at a formal ceremony in the United States Supreme Court in December.

SOURCE Dwight D. Opperman Foundation