Ahron Jay Cristol (born September 29, 1929) is the chief judge of the Florida bankruptcy court, a lecturer in law of naval warfare, and a former US Navy aviator and lawyer in the JAG Corps. His military career began in 1951 when he joined the US Navy during the Korean War and flew day and night missions. He later received both his B.A. in 1958 and J.D. in 1959 from the University of Miami. He also graduated from the the Naval Justice School and served in the JAG Corps as a Navy lawyer for 20 years after receiving his degrees. In 1983, Cristol was appointed as an honorary professor at the Naval Justice School, and also lectured at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law at Sanremo.
Cristol later retired from the military and became a civil layer, serving as Special Assistant Attorney General of Florida, and in 1985 was appointed chief US bankruptcy judge of the Southern District of Florida. As well, Cristol became an adjunct professor at the University of Miami Law School, teaching courses in bankruptcy. In 1997, he received a Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Miami, writing his thesis on the USS Liberty incident of June 1967. He continues to serve as Chief Judge Emeritus in the Southern District of Florida, and at the University of Miami School of Law. He also writes many articles on law, aviation, and history, among other subjects.
From the guide to the A. Jay Cristol Papers, 1985-2007, (University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library: National Bankruptcy Archives)
