Jim Jones (judge)
{{Short description|American judge}}
{{about-otherpeople|the Idaho Supreme Court justice|Jim Jones}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Jim Jones
|office = Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court
|term_start = August 1, 2015
|term_end = January 2017
|predecessor = Roger S. Burdick
|successor = Roger S. Burdick
|office1 = Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court
|term_start1 = January 3, 2005
|term_end1 = January 2017
|predecessor1 = Wayne Kidwell
|successor1 = Robyn Brody
|office2 = 29th Attorney General of Idaho
|governor2 = John Evans
Cecil Andrus
|term_start2 = January 5, 1983
|term_end2 = January 7, 1991
|predecessor2 = David Leroy
|successor2 = Larry EchoHawk
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|5|13}}
|birth_place = Twin Falls, Idaho, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Republican
|spouse = Kelly Jones
|children = 3
|education = Idaho State University
University of Oregon (BA)
Northwestern University (JD)
|allegiance = {{flag|United States}}
|branch = {{flag|United States Army}}
|rank = Captain
|unit = Artillery
|serviceyears = 1967–1969
|battles = Vietnam War
}}
James Thomas Jones{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinamerica0000unse_p8b5/page/572/mode/2up|title=Who's Who in American Law, 2007-2008|year=2007|publisher=Marquis Who's Who|page=573|isbn=978-0-8379-3524-9 }} (born May 13, 1942) is an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and a former Attorney General of Idaho.{{cite web|url=https://www.isc.idaho.gov/main/jim-jones |title=Supreme Court Justices |publisher=State of Idaho |accessdate=August 17, 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821032254/http://www.isc.idaho.gov/main/jim-jones |archivedate=August 21, 2015 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EWlWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6775%2C3319316 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |last=Oxley |first=Chuck |agency=Associated Press |title=Jim Jones takes oath as high court justice |date=January 4, 2005 |page=B2 }}
Early life and education
Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, Jones was raised on a farm near Eden, Idaho. He graduated from Valley High School in 1960. He attended Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, for a year and transferred to the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He also received a commission as Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Jones then earned a Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1967.
Career
He served as an artillery officer in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in the late 1960s and received several decorations, including the Army Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star.
Jones served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Leonard Jordan in the early 1970s. Afterwards he practiced law in Jerome and Boise.
Jones entered politics in 1978 as a candidate for Congress from the state's 2nd district. By a 56% to 44% margin,{{cite web | url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=756843 | title=Our Campaigns - ID District 2 - R Primary Race - Aug 08, 1978 }} he was defeated in the Republican primary by incumbent George Hansen,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kdIvAAAAIBAJ&pg=3426%2C1480306 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Candidate announces |date=December 5, 1979 |page=3 }} and lost again in the 1980 primary to Hansen, who this time won 58%.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OtMvAAAAIBAJ&pg=4768%2C3504527 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Idaho boosts Reagan over the top in GOP delegates |date=May 28, 1980 |page=3 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zFNOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6799%2C1281005 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |last=Kenyon |first=Quane |agency=Associated Press |title=Idaho campaigns can get expensive |date=July 18, 1980 |page=9 }}
Jones was elected the state's attorney general as a Republican in 1982, and was re-elected unopposed in 1986.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZW9OAAAAIBAJ&pg=7173%2C948628 |newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |location=Washington |title=Jim Jones still running unopposed |last=Richardson |first=Kristin |date=April 18, 1986 |page=5}} He ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jim McClure in 1990, but was defeated in the primary by Congressman Larry Craig,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3F5WAAAAIBAJ&pg=7069%2C5953970 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=No regrets for attorney general |date=May 29, 1990 |page=B5 }} and returned to his private law practice in 1991.
Jones was elected to the Idaho Supreme Court in May 2004, unopposed in a nonpartisan election to fill the open seat of retiring justice Wayne Kidwell.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MsYjAAAAIBAJ&pg=3804%2C3207356 |newspaper=Moscow-Pullman Daily News |location=Idaho-Washington |last=Fick |first=Bob |agency=Associated Press |title=Kidwell's decision still leaves voters without a choice |date=March 23, 2004 |page=4A }} He was unopposed for re-election in May 2010 and became chief justice in August 2015 by a vote of his peer justices.{{cite news |url=http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2015/jul/15/justice-jim-jones-be-idaho-supreme-courts-next-chief-justice-aug-1/ |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |title=Justice Jim Jones to be Idaho Supreme Court's next chief justice, as of Aug. 1 |last=Russell |first=Betsy Z. |date=July 15, 2015 |accessdate=August 17, 2015}} Jones retired from active service in January 2017.{{Cite news |url=http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2016/mar/09/chief-justice-jones-retire-clive-strong-announces-bid-his-seat/ |title=Chief Justice Jones to retire, Clive Strong announces bid for his seat |last=Russell |first=Betsy |date=March 9, 2016 |publisher=The Spokesman-Review |access-date=January 26, 2017}}
As the Idaho Republican Party convened in July 2022 to consider a resolution declaring Joe Biden was not legitimately elected, Jones characterized the resolution as "asinine," adding "the party has gotten so caught up in conspiracy theories, meaningless culture war issues, that they have quit being able to function as a meaningful political party. We have got to get away from this authoritarian streak that has infected the Idaho Republican Party, as well as a good part of the nation, because it’s absolutely tearing our country apart."{{cite news |last1=Ridler |first1=Keith |title=Idaho Republicans poised to reject 2020 election results |url=https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-united-states-texas-74470f52173627eba7692821d0182308 |publisher=Associated Press |date=July 14, 2022}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=Roger S. Burdick}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court|years=2015–2017}}
{{s-aft|after=Roger S. Burdick}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=David Leroy}}
{{s-ttl|title=Attorney General of Idaho|years=1983–1991}}
{{s-aft|after=Larry Echo Hawk}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jim}}
Category:Chief justices of the Idaho Supreme Court
Category:Idaho attorneys general
Category:Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court
Category:Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni
Category:People from Jerome, Idaho
Category:People from Twin Falls, Idaho
Category:United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Category:United States Army officers
Category:University of Oregon alumni
{{Idaho-state-judge-stub}}