Judge Van Hardin Kyzar

Kyzar was elected to the Third Circuit Court of Appeal in 2016 from Third Circuit District 1, which includes the eight northernmost parishes of the 21 parish Circuit Court of Appeal and assumed office January 1, 2017.  

Kyzar served as district attorney for the 10th Judicial District for 20 years beginning in 1997 until his election to the court. After his initial election in 1996, he was elected three more times, without opposition. He served as an assistant district attorney for 12 years before he was elected district attorney. He was chosen by his peers to serve as president of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association in 2003 and was elected to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Louisiana District Attorneys Retirement System in 2008 until his retirement as district attorney in November 2016. During his tenure as district attorney, he also served as a member of the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory Commission. 

A 1979 graduate of Northwestern State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Kyzar was a three-year starter on the defensive line for the Demons football team. He graduated from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1982 with his Juris Doctorate degree and spent 20 years as the senior partner in a private law firm engaged in the practice of civil law. 

Kyzar has been featured for his work as an attorney and district attorney on national television broadcasts Inside Edition, Unsolved Mysteries, Investigation Discovery network’s “Deadly Sins”, Oxygen network’s “Snapped”, and on the ESPN “30 for 30 Short” episode “Delaney” about the life and career of NSU and Kansas City Chiefs great running back Joe Delaney. He is a frequent speaker at legal education seminars, on topics including recent developments, criminal law and practice and professionalism.