nathan "nick" k. kotz (september 16, 1932 – april 26, 2020) was an american journalist, author, and historian. he was born in san antonio, texas. he was best known for his 2005 book "judgment days: lyndon baines johnson, martin luther king jr., and the laws that changed america" talking about the roles of president lyndon b. johnson and martin luther king jr. in the passage of the 1964, 1965, and 1968 civil rights laws. kotz won a pulitzer prize for national reporting in 1968.