Appointed by George W. Bush Spouse Denise Dunaway (m. 2001) Role Judge | Name Halil Ozerden Preceded by David C. Bramlette | |
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Born December 5, 1966 (age 57)
Hattiesburg, Mississippi ( 1966-12-05 ) Alma mater Georgetown University (B.S.)
Stanford Law School (J.D.) Education Georgetown University, Stanford Law School | ||
Halil Suleyman "Sul" Ozerden (Turkish: Halil Süleyman Özerden) (born December 5, 1966), is a Turkish American United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.
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Biography
Ozerden was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He obtained his undergraduate education at Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., receiving a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service. Sul was also a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship student, serving as Battalion Executive Officer (1989). Upon receiving his commission as a Naval Officer, he completed United States Navy Flight School in Pensacola, Florida, from 1989 to 1990, and was designated a Naval Flight Officer. Ozerden also obtained his Juris Doctor in 1998 from Stanford Law School, and served as Associate Editor for the Stanford Law Review.
Professional career
Ozerden served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Navy from 1989 to 1995. His military service included: Naval Flight Officer/Bombardier-Navigator, A-6E Intruder; over 1,000 flight hours; Mission Commander qualified; two six-month Western Pacific deployments aboard the USS Kitty Hawk; Safety Department Head; Navy Commendation Medal for missions flown in Operation Restore Hope (Somalia) and Operation Southern Watch (Iraq); Navy Achievement Medal; and he was Honorably Discharged with the rank of Lieutenant (O-3).
Ozerden began his legal career as a law clerk for United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1998 to 1999 and also served as a private practice attorney licensed in Mississippi from 1999 to 2007.
Federal judicial service
On the recommendation of United States Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, President George W. Bush nominated Ozerden to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi on January 8, 2007. He was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 95-0 on April 24, 2007 and received his commission on May 1, 2007.