The Honorable Judge Lloyd D. George addresses the crowd during a Thursday ceremony at Las Vegas City Hall, where U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services and the city of Las Vegas swore in more than 100 Las Vegas-area residents as new citizens.
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020 | 6:20 p.m.
Lloyd George, a retired federal judge who blazed the path for others in the legal field and become the namesake of the federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas, died today at age 90.
“I am devastated to see this loss,” Nevada Gov Steve Sisolak wrote on Twitter. “Longtime federal Judge Lloyd George will be deeply missed. Kathy and I send our love and condolences to Judge George's family and loved ones.”
U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., also expressed her sympathies online.
“Saddened to hear about the passing of Judge Lloyd D. George,” she said. “He was an incredible public servant throughout his decades on the U.S. District Court for Nevada. My thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
George was born in Idaho but raised in Las Vegas. He served as a student body president at Las Vegas High School and attended Brigham Young University, from which he graduated before joining the Air Force and becoming a fighter pilot.
After earning his law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law school in 1961, George returned home to practice law.
“His passion for this city was readily apparent from his stories of his youth, which he was always willing to share,” the release said.
In 1974, he was appointed to serve in bankruptcy court in Las Vegas. A decade later, President Ronald Reagan selected him as a federal judge.
He was the chief justice from 1992 to 1997. Subsequently, he was appointed to several national and international judicial conferences.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to Judge Lloyd D. George’s family and loved ones,” said Nicholas Trutanich, U.S. attorney for the district of Nevada, whose office prosecutes cases in the courthouse that bears George’s name. ”He was a great lawyer and an admired judge, serving Nevada’s legal community for six decades. Judge George leaves an incredible legacy that will live on in the federal courthouse bearing his name.”
He was honored by BYU, Notre Dame, Berkeley and the Boy Scouts of America.
The Lloyd D. George Courthouse sits on Las Vegas Boulevard near Fifth Street Elementary School, where the judge attended as a child.
Flags at federal courthouses in Nevada were ordered lowered to half-staff today and Thursday.
“Judge George devoted his life to his family and to serving his country and the rule of law,” reads an announcement by the U.S. District Court in the District of Nevada. “Judge George will be remembered as a judges’ judge and a mentor to all of us on the federal bench.”
