George Luzerne Hart Jr.

George Luzerne Hart Jr. (July 14, 1905 – May 21, 1984) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

George Luzerne Hart Jr.
Presiding Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
In office May 19, 1979 – May 19, 1982
Appointed by	Warren E. Burger
Preceded by	Seat established
Succeeded by	John Lewis Smith Jr.
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
In office May 16, 1979 – May 21, 1984
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
In office March 19, 1974 – July 14, 1975
Preceded by	John Sirica
Succeeded by	William Blakely Jones
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
In office August 29, 1958 – May 16, 1979
Appointed by	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	James Robert Kirkland
Succeeded by	Norma Holloway Johnson
Personal details
Born	(1905-07-14)July 14, 1905 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.
Died	May 21, 1984(1984-05-21) (aged 78) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	Virginia Military Institute (A.B.) Harvard Law School (LL.B.)

Education and career

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Hart attended Forest Park Academy. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Virginia Military Institute in 1927 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1930. He was admitted to the District of Columbia bar in 1930. He was in private practice in Washington, D.C. at Lambert & Hart from 1930 to 1941. He was in the United States Army Reserve during World War II from 1941 to 1946. He became a captain in artillery, then served in the United States Army Air Force, rising to the rank of colonel in the United States Air Force when it became a separate service. He returned to private practice from 1946 to 1958.

Federal judicial service

On August 29, 1958, Hart received a recess appointment from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by Judge James Robert Kirkland. Formally nominated to the same seat by President Eisenhower on January 17, 1959, Hart was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 9, 1959, and received his commission on September 10, 1959. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1974 to 1975, assuming senior status on May 16, 1979. He served as the Presiding Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 1979 to 1982. Hart continued to serve in senior status until his death on May 21, 1984, in Washington, D.C. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sources

• George Luzerne Hart Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Burchard, Hank (May 5, 1972). "Leading cryptanalysts seek to break secret code reported to tell of buried treasure in Virginia" (PDF). Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2014.