Awards

Maurer School of Law Academy of Law Alumni Fellows (2022)

About Rodolfo Lozano

Judge Lozano, of the U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana, served on the federal bench for 30 years, making landmark rulings in a Hammond courtroom that his peers said was known for its collegiality. A 1963 graduate of Indiana University, Rudy also served as a US Army Reserve and prior to his appointment to the federal bench, he operated his private practice in Merrillville, Indiana for 22 years. Confirmed to the Northern Indiana District Court bench by unanimous consent in 1988 after his appointment by President Ronald Reagan, Judge Lozano was the first Hispanic federal judge appointed in Indiana. Prior to his ascent to the bench, Judge Lozano had gained a reputation in the local bar as a worthy adversary and straight-shooter. The decision for which Judge Lozano is likely best known is Back v. Carter, 933 F. Supp. 738 (N.D. Ind. 1996). This ruling struck down gender and racial quotas the Indiana General Assembly had enacted for the Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission, which nominates judges for the Lake County trial court bench, as constitutionally defective. Judge Lozano granted an injunction blocking the law from taking effect, and his ruling was not appealed. Judge Lozano also presided over one of the largest federal jury damages awards ever returned against a state agency. That was the case of Roman Finnegan, et al. v. Laurel Myers, et al., 3:08-CV-503, in which a jury awarded more than $31 million to a family whose children were wrongly removed by the Department of Child Services. The state agreed to settle that suit after the jury trial for $25 million. Judge Lozano passed away in July 2018. He was inducted posthumously into the Academy.