John Robert Gibson (December 20, 1925 – April 19, 2014) was a
United States circuit judge of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and a United States district judge of the
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Early life and education
Born in
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
,
Missouri, Gibson was a sergeant in the
United States Army from 1944 to 1946. He received an
Artium Baccalaureus
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 1949 from the
University of Missouri, followed by 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 the
University of Missouri School of Law in 1952.
He was in private practice of law in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
, Missouri from 1952 to 1981.
Federal judicial service
Gibson was nominated by President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
on July 9, 1981, to a seat on the
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri vacated by Judge
Elmo Bolton Hunter. Confirmed by the
United States Senate on September 16, 1981, Gibson received his commission three days later. His service was terminated on March 30, 1982, due to elevation to the Eighth Circuit.
On February 2, 1982, Gibson was nominated by Reagan to a seat on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit that had been vacated by Judge
Floyd Robert Gibson
Floyd Robert Gibson (March 3, 1910 – October 4, 2001) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and was previously a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the ...
, who had assumed
senior status. President
Jimmy Carter previously had nominated
Howard F. Sachs to the seat, but Sachs' nomination was not acted upon by the
United States Senate before Carter's presidency ended, and Reagan chose not to renominate Sachs. Reagan initially had brought forth the name of
Hallmark Cards associate general counsel
Judith Whittaker (born June 12, 1938) as a nominee to replace Floyd Gibson. However, after it emerged that Whittaker had supported the
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...
, conservatives opposing her nomination launched a letter-writing campaign objecting to her nomination, and Whittaker eventually withdrew her name from consideration. On March 4, 1982, the Senate confirmed Gibson and he received his commission on March 9, 1982.
[ Gibson assumed senior status on January 1, 1994][ and died on April 19, 2014.]
See also
* Jimmy Carter judicial appointment controversies
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, John Robert
1925 births
2014 deaths
People from Springfield, Missouri
Military personnel from Missouri
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
Missouri lawyers
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Ronald Reagan
United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan
20th-century American judges
University of Missouri alumni
United States Army personnel of World War II