BRONX, NY, April 02, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Walter Jan Brudzinski, JD, MJS, PhD, has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Chief Judge Brudzinski has built a distinguished reputation in law, particularly within the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served as the chief administrative law judge from 2013 to 2025. His tenure in this prestigious role required legal expertise and strong leadership skills, which he honed over his substantial career. He specialized in conducting formal trial-type proceedings in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Formal Adjudication), most of which involved suspension and revocation of United States merchant mariner credentials. The revocations primarily resulted from the use of dangerous drugs, which provided the subject matter for many of his published articles. He also presided over cases brought by other federal agencies that the law required to be adjudicated by a federal administrative law judge (ALJ). These included security violation cases for the Transportation Security Administration, ALJ disciplinary cases for the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, and Export Administration Act violation cases for the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, among others.

Chief Judge Brudzinski has leveraged deep experience gained from a series of key positions. Prior to his appointment as chief administrative law judge for the Coast Guard, he served with distinction as an administrative law judge in the Coast Guard's New York City ALJ field office from 2003 to 2013. From 2004 to 2005, he was temporarily assigned additional duties to hear cases in New York City for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. Initially appointed administrative law judge in 1996 by the Social Security Administration, he excelled in adjudicating disability and Medicare Appeal cases as well as mentoring new administrative law judges. To encourage more attorneys in private practice to represent disability claimants, he participated in conducting training for practicing attorneys in Social Security Disability law and hearing procedure at the Practicing Law Institute in New York City.

Prior to his initial appointment as a U.S. administrative law judge, he was an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney and later a supervisory Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney at the Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted a wide variety of felonies and civil forfeiture cases from 1990 through 1996. He also published articles on current criminal law topics for bar journals and the op-ed page of the local newspaper. Before his prosecutor appointment, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard in various positions afloat and ashore as well as a Coast Guard Judge Advocate General (CGJAG) corps officer. His final legal assignment included duties as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division.

Chief Judge Brudzinski's contributions to maritime law are significant. During his time as a field office administrative law judge and as chief judge, he authored several articles on federal administrative adjudication under the Administrative Procedure Act and on mariner credential suspension and revocation proceedings. Intended for the credentialed mariner as well as the regulated community and general public, the articles provided transparency, clarified the law and procedure, especially in cases involving use of dangerous drugs, and further explained the role of administrative law judges. They also identified the structural safeguards that helped dispel misconceptions about judicial bias and agency influence. In publishing these articles, it was Chief Judge Brudzinski's intent to better secure the trust and confidence of the regulated community, the Coast Guard, and the general public. Particularly noteworthy are his longitudinal study of mariner drug and alcohol positivity test results, summarized in the Maritime Professional, and his analysis of proposals to establish administrative law judge centralized panels to adjudicate cases for other agencies, published in the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary.

Chief Judge Brudzinski has also been an active speaker and lecturer at maritime industry and legal conferences, delivering presentations before the Maritime Law Association of the United States, the American Bar Association's Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice, the American Institute of Marine Underwriters, and the Federal Administrative Law Judges Conference, among others.

In addition to his professional achievements, Chief Judge Brudzinski has maintained membership in several professional organizations, including the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, the Maritime Law Association of the United States and the Federal Administrative Law Judges Conference. Dedication to his professional field is further evidenced by his active participation in an international judicial conference at the University of Toulon, France.

Exceptional academic and professional credentials further define Chief Judge Brudzinski's impressive profile. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Juris Doctor with distinction from George Mason University School of Law, now Scalia Law. He also holds an MJS and PhD in judicial studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. Chief Judge Brudzinski's passion for lifelong learning and professional growth is also reflected in his Certificates in Judicial Development which include Administrative Law - Fair Hearing, General Jurisdiction Trial Skills, and Dispute Resolution Skills earned from the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.

Beyond his professional life, Chief Judge Brudzinski remains engaged in civic service and is an active supporter of his law school and undergraduate university. He also supports the National Judicial College and the University of Nevada which provided him the opportunity to pursue further professional and academic training contributing to his success. Recognizing the opportunities he has received from the U.S. Coast Guard, he contributes to the National Coast Guard Museum Association, the Coast Guard Foundation and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance among others, such as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project. Over the years, he served in many community leadership positions, such as his neighborhood's civic league president, condominium association president, credit union board of directors, and scoutmaster. Most recently, he served on the board of directors for his co-op apartment building in the Bronx for 14 years. He has humbly accepted numerous accolades in honor of his many achievements, including induction into his high school alumni association's Outstanding Achievers Hall of Fame in 2000.

Chief Judge Brudzinski is proud to have found and pursued his calling. His life has been service, defined by persistence, faith and the consistent embrace of challenges, even when the outcomes were uncertain. Throughout his Coast Guard career, his 28-plus years of service as a judge, and his professional pursuits, he faced situations that tested him on professional, academic and ethical levels, but he persisted in pursuing his own unique purpose.

To achieve balance, Chief Judge Brudzinski cherishes spending time with his four grandchildren, to whom he hopes to pass on a positive legacy of values and lessons, much like his own grandfather did for him. He also prioritizes an active lifestyle by playing golf and skiing. Looking toward the future, he is considering opportunities to teach law or serve as an arbitrator or mediator, but above all, he remains committed to fulfilling a promise made to his late wife, Virginia Lynn (Backhaus) Brudzinski, to be present for their family during this reflective phase of his life.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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