Officials remember Polozola as father figure in La. courtrooms

Leading state officials are today remembering former U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola as a man who lived for the law. Polozola died at the age of 71 on Sunday. Though the cause of death was not officially announced, Polozola had been battling cancer for years, says Chief Judge Brian Jackson of the Baton Rouge-based Middle District of Louisiana. “He was an extraordinary jurist. He was devoted to the rule of law. He took very seriously his obligations under the Constitution,” Jackson says. “On a personal level, he was a very caring and compassionate man. I think it’s fair to say that here at the courthouse he was a father figure to all, and that we will all miss him greatly.” Polozola, who was perhaps best known for presiding over the trial that sent former Gov. Edwin Edwards to prison for corruption charges, worked for the court for four decades. He started as a law clerk and then worked as a magistrate, with a short stint in a private law practice in between the two jobs. He was nominated to the bench by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 and served as chief judge from 1998 to 2005. He had been on senior status since 2007, presiding over a reduced docket of cases. Sen. Mary Landrieu issued a statement calling Polozola “a giant of the federal judiciary.” “He possessed a keen analytical mind and wisdom born of the compassion with which he faithfully served the bench for more than 40 years,” Landrieu says. Funeral arrangements for Polozola were still pending as of this afternoon.