Judge Frank L. Kurtz

DIVISION III, POSITION 5

August 5, 1996–November 1, 2005

Appointed by Governor Lowry; Appointed as a Federal Bankruptcy Judge

The Honorable Frank L. Kurtz will finish his 14-year term as a bankruptcy judge for the Eastern District of Washington in November 2019. Although a Yakima resident for close to 40 years, Judge Kurtz’s path to Yakima would have seemed unlikely. Born on February 5, 1946, in Omaha, Nebraska, he was one of four children of Louis and Elizabeth Kurtz. After graduating high school, he decided to stay in Nebraska and attend Creighton University, graduating in 1968 with a B.A. in history. Having spent all his life in the corn fields and meat packing warehouses of Nebraska, Judge Kurtz decided it was time to get out and see the world. He became an American Peace Corps Volunteer in 1968, spending two years in Jabalpur, India, observing and learning the cultures of a new land as well as helping to drill wells.

Upon his return from India, Judge Kurtz enrolled in Gonzaga University School of Law and earned his J.D. in 1974. Beginning his legal career with Kirschenmann, Devine and Porter is was brought him to the Yakima Valley. By 1979, Judge Kurtz was practicing bankruptcy law as a partner in the law firm of Kurtz, Hurley, Lara and Adams. As a lawyer, Judge Kurtz was an original incorporator in 1988 of the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Eastern District of Washington, and served as its first co-chair as well as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Creditor/Debtor section of the Washington State Bar Association. In addition, he has served a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for the Eastern District of Washington and wasrecognized in The Best Lawyers in America.

Judge Kurtz was appointed by Governor Mike Lowry in 1996 to the Washington State Court of Appeals as a Division ThreeJudge. Although headquartered in Spokane, Judge Kurtz spent a lot of time driving around Eastern Washington for his dockets as the cases were divided up between Yakima, Wenatchee and Kennewick. During his tenure as a Washington State court judge, Judge Kurtz served as a member of the Court of Appeals Executive Committee and the Board for Judicial Administration. He chaired the Washington State Judges Ethics Advisory Committee as well as the Mandatory Continuing Judicial Education Committee. He was Acting Chief Judge from 1997-1999 and Chief Judge from 1999-2001.

After 9 years on the Washington State Court of Appeals, Judge Kurtz was appointed as a new bankruptcy judge for the Eastern District of Washington on November 1, 2005. When Judge Kurtz first arrived, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 had just taken effect and the caseload was extremely heavy so there was no time to ease into the bankruptcy court. Judge Kurtz quickly became active in the Court’s Standing Advisory Committee, Chapter 13 Sub-Committee and Small Business Working Groups to help navigate all the changes the court was going through. During his almost 14 years on the bench, he has been actively involved in many judicialpanels and conferences, consistently being asked to speak on Ninth Circuit case law updates. He is very well regarded as a mediation judge and is regularly requested by counsel to act in their settlement conferences. Judge Kurtz served as Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court from 2006-2013. He also served as Chief of the Chief Judges.

In 2013 Judge Kurtz was selected to sit as one of six judges on the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP). The BAP office is located in Pasadena, California, however the BAP holds oral arguments throughout the Ninth Circuit as the caseload dictates, which requires Judge Kurtz to travel 10 out of 12 months to hear cases on the appellate docket. He is currently serving as the Chief Judge of the BAP.

Judge Kurtz enjoys traveling with his wife, his annual ski trip with friends, and playing golf.