Alex Kozinski
A provocative and brilliant judicial mind whose colorful, libertarian-leaning opinions made the Ninth Circuit a center of legal fireworks for decades.
Born 1950 (age 76)·American retired federal judge·Birthday: July 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alex Kozinski's story is a classic American immigrant tale. Born in Romania, he survived the Holocaust and arrived in the U.S. as a child, settling in Los Angeles. His sharp intellect propelled him through UCLA and UC Berkeley Law. Appointed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by President Reagan at just 35, he became one of the youngest federal appellate judges in history. On the bench, Kozinski was impossible to ignore. His opinions were erudite, witty, and often laced with biting sarcasm, championing free speech and skepticism of government power. He cultivated a reputation as a 'feeder judge,' placing an extraordinary number of his clerks into Supreme Court clerkships. His tenure ended abruptly in 2017 following allegations of misconduct, closing a chapter on one of the most distinctive and influential judicial voices of his generation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alex was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alex Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Alex's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2007 to 2014.
- Authored the majority opinion in *United States v. Syufy Enterprises*, a landmark antitrust case.
- Was a noted 'feeder judge,' with over 40 of his law clerks going on to clerk for U.S. Supreme Court justices.
- Wrote a frequently cited dissent in *United States v. Pineda-Moreno*, criticizing warrantless GPS tracking.
- Founded the legal blog *The Kozinski Blog* in the early 2000s, later known as *The Legal Edge*.
Did You Know?
He fled communist Romania with his family by bribing border guards with a chocolate cake.
Kozinski was a semifinalist on the television game show 'The $64,000 Challenge' as a teenager.
He maintained a publicly accessible website where he posted his judicial opinions and humorous essays.
His law clerks famously participated in an annual 'clerk roast' of the judge.
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