The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California announced Friday that it will posthumously honor Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden as the 2026 recipient of the Hon. David H. Bartick Award for Civility and Professionalism, a prestigious honor among attorneys from the federal bar in San Diego.
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Haden, who twice served as acting U.S. attorney in San Diego and twice served as the No. 2 leader in the office, died by suicide at the age of 48 on Aug. 18 inside the downtown San Diego federal building that houses the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Haden’s death stunned the San Diego legal community. But judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys alike praised him as a talented and fair prosecutor, as well as a caring leader and mentor.
“His impact endures in the countless individuals he guided, supported, and inspired,” the court said in a statement Friday announcing he’d be posthumously recognized. “In every interaction, Andrew embodied civility, professionalism, integrity, and respect for others — the very values the Bartick Award was created to honor.”
The award’s namesake was a prominent criminal defense attorney who served as a federal magistrate judge in San Diego for nearly six years before his death from brain cancer in 2018. The court has installed a permanent display to honor Bartick, as well as the recipients of the award named after him, in the lobby of the James M. Carter & Judith N. Keep U.S. Courthouse in downtown.
In its statement, the court said Haden, like Bartick, was known for being kind, humble, ethical, generous and thoughtful.
“He made others feel good about themselves and improved every person he encountered, from anxious law students to seasoned trial attorneys,” the court said.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon called Haden “an exceptional prosecutor and a deeply valued colleague.”
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“This award is a fitting recognition of his dedication, professionalism and commitment to justice,” Gordon said in a statement. “We are honored that his work is being recognized, and our thoughts remain with Andrew’s family and loved ones.”
Defense attorney Jeremy Warren, one of two recipients of the 2025 Bartick Award, said Haden was a “model of civility and professionalism.” That was even true — or perhaps particularly so, Warren said — when the career defense attorney and career prosecutor vehemently disagreed.
“Andrew was an extraordinary attorney, a true gentleman and a class act,” Warren said.
Haden, a father of two and a former U.S. Navy officer who grew up in San Diego, had joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2010 and spent his entire career as a prosecutor.
Gordon’s office said Friday that Haden will also be posthumously honored by the U.S. Department of Justice with a “highly competitive” Director’s Award from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys. That award is for his work, alongside fellow San Diego Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Nagel, successfully convicting at trial a Las Vegas woman who threatened federal judges in Nevada.
Haden will be officially recognized with the Bartick Award at an October event for the San Diego Federal Bar Association.
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