Bernard M. Jones

Bernard Maurice Jones II (born 1979)[1] is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and a former magistrate judge of the same court.

Bernard M. Jones
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Assumed office
December 31, 2019
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byJoe L. Heaton
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
In office
July 31, 2015 – December 31, 2019
Personal details
Born1979 (age 43–44)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
EducationSouthern Methodist University (BA)
University of Notre Dame (JD)

Early life and education

Jones was born in northeast Oklahoma City,[2] and attended Bishop McGuinness High School.[3] Jones earned his Bachelor of Arts from Southern Methodist University and his Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School.[4]

Career

Jones was in private practice, where he focused on commercial and labor and employment law, first at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP in Columbus, Ohio, and later in the Oklahoma City office of McAfee & Taft.[4]

State court service

In 2012, he was appointed as a District Judge for Oklahoma's Seventh Judicial District, where he presided over the family and domestic relations and civil dockets and oversaw the District's Drug Court and Mental Health Court programs.[4][5]

A case Jones presided over drew national attention in 2014 when he ultimately denied a request by an Oklahoma school district to replay a high school football game that was allegedly botched by referees, noting that it was not up to the court to intervene in such a decision.[6]

Federal judicial service

Jones was appointed as a United States magistrate judge in 2015,[4] and was sworn into office on August 17, 2015.[7] He was the first African American to be appointed to this position in the state of Oklahoma.[2] His service as a magistrate judge was terminated on December 31, 2019 when he was elevated to district judge.[8]

On October 2, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Jones to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. On October 17, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. Jones was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge Joe L. Heaton, who assumed senior status on July 1, 2019.[9] On October 30, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] Oklahoma Senators James Lankford and Jim Inhofe released a statement supporting Jones' nomination.[11] On November 21, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 19–3 vote.[12] On December 18, 2019, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 88–5 vote.[13] On December 19, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 91–3 vote.[14] He received his judicial commission on December 31, 2019.[15]

See also

References
  1. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Bernard Jones
  2. "Judge Bernard M. Jones to deliver 2016 IRA D. Hall and Rubye Hibler Hall Endowed Lecture Series". Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  3. "Vocation of Service: U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones". Metro Family Magazine. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  4. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" White House, October 2, 2019 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. "Gov. Fallin Appoints Bernard Jones to Oklahoma County Judicial Post". www.ok.gov. September 17, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  6. "Trump Judicial Pick Would Add to Majority in Oklahoma District (1)". Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  7. @govmaryfallin (August 17, 2015). "Congrats to my friend, Judge Bernard Jones, on being sworn into the US District Court for the Western District of OK" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. Bernard M. Jones at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  9. "Eighteen Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, October 17, 2019
  10. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for October 30, 2019
  11. "Lankford, Inhofe Applaud Nomination of Oklahoma City Judge" (Press release). Oklahoma City. October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  12. Results of Executive Business Meeting – November 21, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
  13. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Bernard Maurice Jones II to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma)". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  14. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Bernard Maurice Jones II, of Oklahoma, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma)". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  15. Bernard M. Jones at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
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