Janis Graham Jack (born 1946) is a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Education and career

Jack was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She received a

registered nursing A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

from St. Thomas School of Nursing (part of the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

) in 1969, a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

from the University of Baltimore in 1974, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

South Texas College of Law South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL or South Texas) is a private law school in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1923, it is accredited by the American Bar Association. South Texas College of Law Houston is the oldest law school in the city of ...

in 1981. She was in private practice in Corpus Christi, Texas from 1981 to 1993.

Federal judicial service

On November 19, 1993, Jack was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas created by 104 Stat. 5089. She was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on March 10, 1994, and received her commission on March 11, 1994. She assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on June 1, 2011.

Notable rulings

In June 2005, Jack threw out about 9,000 suits against US Silica corp. In 2015, Jack ruled in favor of plaintiffs in a class action suit (''M.D. v. Abbott'') on behalf of 10,000-plus foster children in care of the State of Texas, saying leaders were violating the constitutional rights of the children in its long-term foster care. With much of her ruling sustained on appeal, Jack continues to supervise the case as late as 2022, holding the State in contempt of court and often expressing “disgust“ at the State of Texas’ failure to care for foster children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jack, Janis Graham 1946 births Living people University of Baltimore alumni South Texas College of Law alumni University of St. Thomas (Texas) alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton Lawyers from Los Angeles 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges American nurses American women nurses