David L. Bazelon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| David Lionel Bazelon | |
 Judge Bazelon, courtesy of Bazelon.org |
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| In office 1962 – 1978 |
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| Preceded by | Wilbur Kingsbury Miller |
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| Succeeded by | James Skelly Wright |
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| In office 1949 – 1979 |
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| Nominated by | Harry Truman |
| Preceded by | none |
| Succeeded by | Harry T. Edwards |
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| Born | September 3, 1909 Superior, WI |
| Died | February 19, 1993 Washington, DC |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Jewish |
David Lionel Bazelon (September 3, 1909–February 19, 1993) was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Born in Wisconsin, David Bazelon grew up in Chicago and earned a B.S.L from Northwestern University in 1931. He worked in private practice for a few years and then worked as the assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1935 to 1946. He then worked as the assistant U.S. attorney general for the U.S. Lands Division form 1946 to 1949. In 1949, when he was 40 years old, President Harry S. Truman named him in a recess appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; he was the youngest judge ever appointed to that court. From 1962-1978 he served as chief judge and semi-retired in 1979 into senior status. He died in 1993 of Alzheimer's disease.
Judge Bazelon's former law clerks include prominent figures such as Alan Dershowitz, Loftus Becker, and Thomas Merrill. The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, an organization devoted to legal advocacy on behalf of persons with mental disabilities, is named after him.
