Allan Kornblum
A federal judge and FBI agent who helped draft the secretive legal framework governing America's national security surveillance.
1938–2010 (age 72)·American judge·Birthday: March 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Allan Kornblum's career was a multi-layered journey through American law enforcement and jurisprudence. He began as a beat cop with the NYPD before moving into federal service as a Treasury agent and then an FBI special agent. This ground-level experience with investigations uniquely positioned him for his most consequential work: helping to author key sections of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the complex law that established a court to oversee wiretaps in espionage and terrorism cases. Kornblum didn't just write the rules; he later helped administer them, serving as a legal advisor to the very FISA court he helped create. His path culminated in a presidential appointment as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Florida, where he presided until his death. His life traced the arc of modern American surveillance law, from its practical origins to its judicial oversight.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Allan was born in 1938, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Allan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1938
#1 Movie
You Can't Take It with You
Best Picture
You Can't Take It with You
Allan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1938Born
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1943Started school
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1951Became a teenager
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Could drive
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1956Could vote
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Turned 21
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1968Turned 30
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!
1978Turned 40
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 50
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 60
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 70
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2010Died at 72
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
Key Achievements
- Authored critical operational sections of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
- Served as a legal advisor to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
- Appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Florida in 1999.
- Had a prior career spanning roles as an NYPD officer, U.S. Treasury agent, and FBI special agent.
Did You Know?
He served as the Director of Security for Princeton University before becoming a judge.
He was an officer in the U.S. Army.
His legal career focused heavily on the intersection of national security and constitutional rights.
“A warrant is a scalpel, not a sledgehammer; it must cut precisely where the facts direct.”
