Robert E. Jones (judge)
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward Jones is an American
politician and judge in Oregon
. He is currently a senior judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
in the Portland
. A Portland native, he previously served as the 84th Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court
and as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives
.
. After high school Jones joined the United States Naval Reserve and attended the University of Hawaii
where he earned a bachelors of arts in 1949. He then enrolled at the Northwestern School of Law
at Lewis & Clark College
in Portland where he graduated in 1953 with a LL.B.. While in the Naval Reserve he served in the Judge Advocate General Corps
from 1949 to 1987.
as a Republican representing Portland. However he resigned before the special session held later that year. Jones resigned in order to become a circuit judge in Multnomah County, Oregon
, where he remained until 1982.
On December 16, 1982, Robert E. Jones was appointed by Oregon Governor Victor G. Atiyeh
to the Oregon Supreme Court
. He replaced Jacob Tanzer
who had resigned. Jones served on Oregon
’s highest court until April 30, 1990, when he resigned. Jones left that court in order to become a federal judge for U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon when he was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to replace James M. Burns
. After nomination on February 20, 1990, he was confirmed by the United States Senate
on April 27 and then received his federal commission on April 30, 1990. Jones then became a federal senior judge
on May 1, 2000 and is also a senior judge in Oregon.
As a federal judge he upheld Oregon’s Assisted Suicide law against a federal challenge in April 2002. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
had challenged the law based on federal laws concerning controlled substances. In 2003 to 2004 he was the presiding judge of the case involving Mike Hawash
of the Portland Seven
in which Hawash received a seven year sentence for conspiring to fight in Afghanistan
for the Taliban against United States forces. Then in 2005 he ruled against the Bush administration in their efforts to reduce protection of gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act
.
Judge Jones is a former president of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, an adjunct member of the Lewis & Clark Law School
faculty, part of the National Judicial College, and a faculty member of the American Academy of Judicial Education.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician and judge in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He is currently a senior judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
in the Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. A Portland native, he previously served as the 84th Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
and as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
.
Early life
Jones was born in 1927 in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. After high school Jones joined the United States Naval Reserve and attended the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
where he earned a bachelors of arts in 1949. He then enrolled at the Northwestern School of Law
Lewis & Clark Law School
Lewis and Clark Law School is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. In the last ten years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States eight times....
at Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
in Portland where he graduated in 1953 with a LL.B.. While in the Naval Reserve he served in the Judge Advocate General Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Navy. Today, the corps consists of a worldwide organization of more than 730 Judge Advocates, 30 limited duty officers , 500 enlisted members and nearly 275 civilian personnel, serving...
from 1949 to 1987.
Legal career
After law school Robert Jones entered private legal practice in Portland where he remained until 1963. In 1963 he entered politics when he served in the Oregon House of RepresentativesOregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
as a Republican representing Portland. However he resigned before the special session held later that year. Jones resigned in order to become a circuit judge in Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
, where he remained until 1982.
On December 16, 1982, Robert E. Jones was appointed by Oregon Governor Victor G. Atiyeh
Victor G. Atiyeh
Victor George Atiyeh is an American politician, elected the 32nd Governor of Oregon in 1978. A member of the Republican Party, Atiyeh was the first elected governor of Arab descent in the United States, serving eight years from 1979 through 1987...
to the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
. He replaced Jacob Tanzer
Jacob Tanzer
Jacob B. Tanzer is an American attorney in the state of Oregon, United States. Prior to private practice Tanzer served as the 81st Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court...
who had resigned. Jones served on Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
’s highest court until April 30, 1990, when he resigned. Jones left that court in order to become a federal judge for U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon when he was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to replace James M. Burns
James M. Burns
James Milton Burns was a United States federal judge.Born in Portland, Oregon, Burns was in the United States Army during World War II from 1943 to 1945, and thereafter received a B.A. from the University of Portland in 1947 and a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1950...
. After nomination on February 20, 1990, he was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on April 27 and then received his federal commission on April 30, 1990. Jones then became a federal senior judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
on May 1, 2000 and is also a senior judge in Oregon.
As a federal judge he upheld Oregon’s Assisted Suicide law against a federal challenge in April 2002. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
John Ashcroft
John David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
had challenged the law based on federal laws concerning controlled substances. In 2003 to 2004 he was the presiding judge of the case involving Mike Hawash
Mike Hawash
Maher Mofeid "Mike" Hawash is a Palestinian-born American engineer who was convicted and sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence in 2003 for conspiring to aid the Taliban in fighting against U.S. forces and their allies in Afghanistan...
of the Portland Seven
The Portland Seven
The Portland Seven was a group of American Muslims from the Portland, Oregon area arrested in October 2002 as part of an FBI operation attempting to close down a terrorist cell...
in which Hawash received a seven year sentence for conspiring to fight in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
for the Taliban against United States forces. Then in 2005 he ruled against the Bush administration in their efforts to reduce protection of gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
.
Judge Jones is a former president of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, an adjunct member of the Lewis & Clark Law School
Lewis & Clark Law School
Lewis and Clark Law School is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. In the last ten years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States eight times....
faculty, part of the National Judicial College, and a faculty member of the American Academy of Judicial Education.