--- title: "David Alan Ezra | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-alan-ezra" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # David Alan Ezra U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii - State: Hawaii - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - held the role of an adjunct professor of law at the William S. Richardson School of Law — 1978–2013 and has been a jurist in residence at St. Mary’s University School of Law since 2016 - He held the role of chief judge from 1999 to 2005 and assumed senior status on June 27, 2012 Since January 2013, Ezra has been designated to serve on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, including the San Antonio and Austin divisions, to help manage a heavy caseload, particularly in immigration cases - Law clerk, Office of the Corporation Counsel, City and County of Honolulu, HI, 1972-present - Judge, District Court, D. Hawaii, 1988-2012 - Nominated by President Ronald Reagan on November 18, 1987, to the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, filling the seat vacated by Judge Samuel Pailthorpe King - Served in the U.S. Marine Corps — 1966–1968 and later as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army — 1971–1976 ### Education ### Additional information - Private practice, Honolulu, HI, 1972-1988 - Before joining the federal bench, Ezra practiced law in Honolulu — 1972–1988 - He became a partner at Anthony, Hoddick, Reinwald, and O'Connor in 1980 and later the managing partner of Ezra, O'Connor, Moon and Tam in 1981 - U.S. Army Reserve, 1971-1977 - Date of birth: 1947-01-01 - Judge Ezra has presided over significant federal cases, including high-profile immigration disputes and cases involving state-federal authority, such as U.S. v - received his commission the following day - Also frequently designated to sit on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, holding the record for the most designated sittings in that court’s history - Birth place: Columbus, OH ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380586) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380586) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380586) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1021/david-alan-ezra/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1021/david-alan-ezra/) - [Wikidata: David Alan Ezra](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5230660) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-alan-ezra", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-alan-ezra", "name": "David Alan Ezra | KnowJudges", "description": "David Alan Ezra, U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.