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Passing of Senior Judge David A. Katz

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Solomon Oliver, Jr., Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today the passing of Judge David A. Katz of Toledo, Ohio, who has served on that court for the last 21 years. He has served as a Senior Judge on the court since 2005. Judge Katz was appointed to the District Court by President William Jefferson Clinton in 1994, after a distinguished career in the practice of law, including serving as the Managing Partner of the Spengler, Nathanson Law Firm in Toledo. Judge Katz received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and his law degree from the Ohio State University College of Law.
 
Chief Judge Oliver stated, “Judge Katz’s contribution to our court has been immeasurable. He came to the court with a keen sense of fairness and a very large dose of common sense. He could always be counted on. He was highly respected by the lawyers in the community. Though he had many strengths, one of his greatest was his ability to resolve complex cases involving multiple parties. As Chief Judge, I often sought and received his wise counsel. Every judge on our court highly valued David’s friendship. We will all miss him greatly.”
 
Judge Katz has been involved in a number of efforts, both locally and nationally, to improve the administration of justice. They include his service as past chair of the Committee on Audits and Administrative Accountability, a committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the governing body of the federal judiciary, which is chaired by the Chief Justice of the United States. Judge Katz has received numerous awards for his professional accomplishments, including from the Medical College of Ohio, the Toledo Bar Association, the Ohio State College of Law and the University of Toledo College of Law. He has also served on many boards in his community, including at St. Vincent Medical Center, Northwest Ohio Heart Center, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Zoo Foundation and the Mercy Health System--Northwest Region.
 
The flag will be flown at half staff at all of the courthouses in the Northern District of Ohio through Thursday. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio extends to the 40 northernmost counties of the state, and holds court and has judicial officers in Toledo, Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown.