A. Howard Matz (born 1943) is a former
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
of the
.
Education and career
Matz was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York. He received an
Artium Baccalaureus degree from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1965 and a
Juris Doctor from
Harvard Law School in 1968.
Matz
clerked for Judge
Morris E. Lasker of the
, and was in
private practice Private practice may refer to:
*Private sector practice
**Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...
in New York from 1970 to 1972. Matz moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
with the law firm of
Hughes Hubbard & Reed
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP ( a.k.a. "Hughes Hubbard" or "HHR") is a multinational law firm headquartered in New York City with offices in the United States, France, and Japan.
The firm's history dates back to the late 19th century, when it co ...
, where he worked from 1972 to 1974. He served as an
Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California from 1974 to 1978, and was Chief of the Special Prosecutions unit from 1977 to 1978, when he left to return to Hughes Hubbard as a
partner
Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to:
Books
* ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997
* ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928
* ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart
* ''Partner'' (m ...
.
Federal judicial service
On October 27, 1997,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
nominated Matz to a seat on the Central District of California vacated by
Harry Lindley Hupp. Matz was unanimously
confirmed
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
by the
Senate on June 26, 1998, and received his commission on June 29, 1998. He assumed
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...
on July 11, 2011, and retired on April 1, 2013.
Notable rulings
* Matz presided over the first legal challenge to the U.S. government's treatment of Guantanamo Bay detainees in a
habeas corpus
''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...
petition brought by a
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
group seeking relief for the detainees.
* Matz was the judge in ''
Perfect 10 v. Google, Inc.'', a
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...
case in which
Perfect 10 sued
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil acti ...
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
for displaying thumbnail-sized reproductions of its images. Matz rejected Google's
fair use
Fair use is a doctrine in United States law that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to balance the interests ...
defense, distinguishing ''
Kelly v. Arriba Soft Corporation
''Kelly v. Arriba Soft Corporation'', 280 F.3d 934 (9th Cir. 2002) ''withdrawn'', re-filed at 336 F.3d 811 (9th Cir. 2003), is a U.S. court case between a commercial photographer and a search engine company. During the case, ownership of Arriba Sof ...
''. The Ninth Circuit reversed in ''
Perfect 10, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc.
''Perfect 10, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc.'', 508 F.3d 1146 (9th Cir., 2007) was a case in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit involving a copyright infringement claim against Amazon.com, Inc. and Google, Inc., by the magazine ...
''.
See also
*
List of Jewish American jurists
This is a list of notable Jewish American jurists. For other famous Jewish Americans, see Lists of American Jews.
Supreme Court of the United States
Federal judges Appellate judges
* Robert E. Bacharach, Judge of the United States Court of ...
References
External links
*
Judge's Procedures and Schedules
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matz, Howard
1943 births
Living people
Assistant United States Attorneys
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Judges of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
People from Brooklyn
United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton
20th-century American judges
21st-century American judges