Sidney R. Thomas
Sidney Runyan Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| Assumed office January 6, 1996 | |
| Nominated by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Dorothy Wright Nelson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 14, 1953 Bozeman, Montana |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Lawyer, judge |
Sidney Runyan Thomas (born August 14, 1953, Bozeman, Montana) is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Judge Thomas is a candidate, and currently being interviewed by President Obama, for possible nomination to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court.[1][2]
Early life and education
Judge Thomas received his Bachelors degree from Montana State University in 1975 and his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Montana School of Law in 1978.[3] He was appointed as a student member of the state Board of Regents of Higher Education in 1974 and reappointed in 1976.[4]
Professional career
After graduating from law school, Thomas entered private practice at Moulton, Bellingham, Longo & Mather, a law firm in Billings, Montana.[4] He became a senior partner at Moulton Bellingham, where he specialized in commercial litigation,[4] as well as government, bankruptcy and media law.[5]
Thomas also served as the standing bankruptcy trustee for all bankruptcy cases filed in the Billings Division of the United States District Court for the District of Montana from 1978 until 1981, and served as an adjunct instructor in law at Rocky Mountain College from 1982 to 1995.[6]
Ninth Circuit nomination and confirmation
On July 19, 1995, President Bill Clinton nominated Thomas to his current seat on the Ninth Circuit. The United States Senate confirmed Thomas in a voice vote on January 2, 1996. Thomas's nomination had been briefly held up by then U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana, who had wanted the nominations of Thomas and judicial nominee A. Wallace Tashima delayed until the passage of a bill to split the Ninth Circuit.[3]
Judge Thomas authored the opinion in Nadarajah v. Gonzales,[7] a 2006 civil rights case.
Judge Thomas is the 'en banc coordinator' for his highly divisive court, with parliamentarian type duties that can impact the outcome of any case. "I've never known one of his rulings to be challenged," the Ninth Circuit's Chief Judge has said. "I think it's a tribute to his evenhandedness that he's been on the job for many years, and nobody wants a different en banc coordinator."
2010 Supreme Court vacancy
Unnamed senior White House officials list Judge Thomas to be among the approximately 10 individuals being considered as a replacement for retiring U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. On April 29, 2010, the Associated Press reported that President Obama interviewed Judge Thomas at the White House for possible nomination to the vacancy in the Court to be left upon Justice Stevens's upcoming retirement.[8] Thomas also interviewed with Vice President Joe Biden.
See also
References
- ^ "Source: Judge Sidney Thomas on Supreme Court list". Associated Press.
{{cite web}}: Text "accessdate-2010-04-12" ignored (help) - ^ "Obama interviews Thomas, Garland for high court". Associated Press.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "accessdate-2010-04-30" ignored (help); Text "http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100430/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_supreme_court" ignored (help) - ^ a b "Senate Confirms Tashima, Thomas to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. January 3, 1996. p. 1.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c Lorna Thackeray, Thomas’ Colleagues Hail Judge’s Credentials, Billings Gazette (April 16, 2010).
- ^ "Clinton Nominates Montana Lawyer for Ninth Circuit Seat". Associated Press. July 19, 1995. p. 1.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "President Nominates Sidney Thomas to Appeals Court". U.S. Newswire. July 20, 1995.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Nadarajah v. Gonzales, 443 F.3d 1069 (9th Cir. 2006).
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVIF9OnrgW2kTS53D8szV4l9GLewD9FD1QBG5