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{{Short description|American judge (1930–2020)}}
{{Infobox judgeofficeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Jerome Farris
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Jerome Farris (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption =
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| successor1 = [[M. Margaret McKeown]]
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Joseph Jerome Farris
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|03|04}}
| birth_place = [[Birmingham, Alabama]], US
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| footnotes =
}}
'''Joseph Jerome Farris''' (March 4, 1930 – July 23, 2020) was a [[United States Circuitcircuit Judgejudge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Judges of the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GIzCAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Farris,+joseph+jerome%22+1930&dq=%22Farris,+joseph+jerome%22+1930&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dravUfWPKOjKigL1ooCwDg&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg|date=1978|publisher=Judicial Conference of the United States. Bicentennial Committee|location=Washington, D.C.|page=158|accessdate=October 12, 2017}}</ref>
 
==Education and career==
Born in [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]], [[Alabama]], Farris received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree from [[Morehouse College]] in 1951. July 1951 to February 1951, he was a [[civil servant]] radar instructor at [[Keesler Air Force Base]], Mississippi.<ref name=Bicentennial>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=tLKAP6dGK6AC&pg Judges of the United States]'', "Farris, Joseph Jerome", second edition, published under the auspices of the Bicentennial Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1983, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., page 158.</ref> March 1952 to February 1953, he served in the [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|United States Army Signal Corps]] at [[Camp Gordon]], Georgia and [[Fort Monmouth]], New Jersey and was discharged as a private first class.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Faulk|first1=Kent|title=Before the civil rights movement Alabama blacks faced discrimination on their way to getting law degrees and licenses to practice|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/05/before_the_civil_rights_moveme.html|accessdate=October 13, 2017|work=AL.com|publisher=Alabama Media Group|date=May 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Famous Alumni|url=http://www.morehousecollegealumni.com/2012/12/10/famous-alumni-of-morehouse-college/|publisher=Morehouse College Alumni Association| website=MorehouseCollegeAlumni.com|date=10 December 2012 |accessdate=October 13, 2017}}</ref><ref name=Bicentennial/>
 
He received a [[Master of Social Work]] from [[Atlanta University]] (now [[Clark Atlanta University]]) in 1955 and a [[Juris Doctor]] with [[Order of the Coif]] honors from the [[University of Washington School of Law]] in 1958.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Alumni Trivia Answers|journal=Condon Crier|volume=1|number=17|url=https://www.law.washington.edu/students/studentnews/03-04/17feb9.pdf|publisher=University of Washington Law School|accessdate=October 12, 2017|page=6|date=February 9, 2004}}</ref> He was in private practice in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] from 1958 to 1969 with various partners, including Leonard W. Schroeter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leonard Schroeter, In memoriam (1924-2014)|url=https://www.stritmatter.com/attorneys/leonard-schroeter/|publisher=Stritmatter Kessler LLP|date=2014|accessdate=October 13, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Sison|first1=Erika|title=The passing of Leonard Schroeter|url=http://sgb-law.com/passing-leonard-schroeter/|publisher=Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender|accessdate=October 13, 2017|date=April 30, 2014}}</ref> Farris served as one of the initial judges on the [[Washington Court of Appeals]], Division One, in Seattle from 1969 to 1979.<ref>{{cite web|title=African American Judges in Washington State|url=https://www.courts.wa.gov/committee/pdf/africanAmericanJudges.pdf|publisher=Washington State Courts|accessdate=October 12, 2017|format=PDF|date=October 26, 2008}}</ref>
 
==Federal judicial service==
On July 12, 1979, President [[Jimmy Carter]] nominated Farris to a new seat on the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] created by 92 Stat. 1629.<ref>{{cite web|title=Records of the White House Press Office: A Guide to Its Records at the Jimmy Carter Library | url=https://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/library/findingaids/Press_Office.pdf|publisher=The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum|accessdate=October 12, 2017|page=126|date=March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Judges of this Court in Order of Seniority|url=https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/content/view_seniority_list.php?pk_id=0000000035|publisher=U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|accessdate=October 12, 2017|date=March 2017}}</ref> The United States Senate confirmed the nomination on September 26, 1979, and Farris received his commission on September 27, 1979. In ''[[Hirabayashi v. United States]]'' (1987), Farris sat on the circuit panel that by ''[[coram nobis]]'' unanimously vacated an exclusion order conviction that had been upheld by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] during the [[World War II]] wartime [[internment of Japanese Americans]].<ref name=“fjc”>{{citeFJC journalBio|last1nid=Narasaki1380636|first1inline=Karen|title=The Reopening of United States v. Hirabayashi: Reflections from the Legal Team|journal=Seattle Journal for Social Justice|date=2012|volume=11|page=53|url=http://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1629&context=sjsj|accessdate=October 4, 2016yes}}</ref><ref>[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=18257773315166643768&hl=en&as_sdt=2006 ''Hirabayashi v. United States'', 828 F.2d 591 (9th Cir. 1987).]</ref> He assumed [[senior status]] on March 4, 1995,<ref name=“fjc”/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Holding|first1=Reynolds|title=Judge's Story of Killing Had Raised Doubt Before / Colleague confronted Ware in August|url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/PAGE-ONE-Judge-s-Story-of-Killing-Had-Raised-2796762.php|accessdate=October 12, 2017|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=November 10, 1997|page=1}}</ref> and [[M. Margaret McKeown]] was named to replace him.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Nominations, Senate|journal=Congressional Record, 104th Congress, 2nd Session|date=March 29, 1996|volume=142|issue=46|pages=S3249-S3250S3249–S3250|url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/1996/3/29/senate-section/article/s3249-7?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22jerome+farris%5C%22%22%5D%7D&r=1|accessdate=October 13, 2017}}</ref>
 
Farris's Ninth Circuit law clerks include [[Gregory Mandel]], who later became Dean of [[Temple University Beasley School of Law]], and [[Brenda K. Sannes]], who later became a judge of the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of New York]].
 
==Opinions==
In ''[[Hirabayashi v. United States]]'' (1987), Farris sat on the circuit panel that by ''[[coram nobis]]'' unanimously vacated an exclusion order conviction that had been upheld by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] during the [[World War II]] wartime [[internment of Japanese Americans]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Narasaki|first1=Karen|title=The Reopening of United States v. Hirabayashi: Reflections from the Legal Team|journal=Seattle Journal for Social Justice|date=2012|volume=11|page=53|url=http://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1629&context=sjsj|accessdate=October 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=18257773315166643768&hl=en&as_sdt=2006 ''Hirabayashi v. United States'', 828 F.2d 591 (9th Cir. 1987).]</ref>
In 1997, Farris published an article arguing that, while the Ninth Circuit is the circuit most often reversed by the United States Supreme Court, this was not due to error or the circuit being "too liberal" but rather the circuit hears a large number of cases involving controversial topics, and "courts cannot determine right and wrong in an absolute sense because the law is not absolute."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Farris|first1=Jerome|title=The Ninth Circuit-Most Maligned Circuit in the Country-Fact or Fiction|journal=Ohio State Law Journal|date=1997|volume=58|page=1465|url=https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/64933/OSLJ_V58N4_1465.pdf|accessdate=October 4, 2016}}</ref> Although a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] appointee, Farris was described by his colleague [[Stephen Reinhardt]] as "extremely conservative on criminal justice issues."<ref>{{cite journal|first=Stephen|last=Reinhardt|title=The Anatomy of an Execution: Fairness vs. "Process"|volume=74|journal=[[New York University Law Review]]|page=313|year=1999|url=http://www.nyulawreview.org/sites/default/files/pdf/NYULawReview-74-2-Reinhardt.pdf|accessdate=October 12, 2017}}</ref>▼
 
▲In 1997, Farris published an article arguing that, while the Ninth Circuit is the circuit most often reversed by the United States Supreme Court, this was not due to error or the circuit being "too liberal" but rather the circuit hears a large number of cases involving controversial topics, and "courts cannot determine right and wrong in an absolute sense because the law is not absolute."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Farris|first1=Jerome|title=The Ninth Circuit-Most Maligned Circuit in the Country-Fact or Fiction|journal=Ohio State Law Journal|date=1997|volume=58|page=1465|hdl=1811/64933|url=https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/64933/OSLJ_V58N4_1465.pdf|accessdate=October 4, 2016}}</ref> Although a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] appointee, Farris was described by his colleague [[Stephen Reinhardt]] as "extremely conservative on criminal justice issues."<ref>{{cite journal|first=Stephen|last=Reinhardt|title=The Anatomy of an Execution: Fairness vs. "Process"|volume=74|journal=[[New York University Law Review]]|page=313|year=1999|url=http://www.nyulawreview.org/sites/default/files/pdf/NYULawReview-74-2-Reinhardt.pdf|accessdate=October 12, 2017}}</ref>
 
===Tree cutting===
In August 2002, Farris had 120 cherry and maple trees in [[Colman Park (Seattle)|Colman Park]], a city park in Seattle, cut down to improve the view of [[Lake Washington]] from his house.<ref name=pi03>{{cite news|last1=Taus|first1=Margaret|title=Judge to pay $500,000 for cutting park trees|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Judge-to-pay-500-000-for-cutting-park-trees-1106473.php|accessdate=October 4, 2016|work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=January 30, 2003}}</ref> [[Norm Maleng]], the [[King County Prosecuting Attorney]], declined to file felony malicious mischief charges.<ref name=pi03/> The [[Seattle City Attorney]] settled with the judge for a fine of $500,000.<ref name=pi06>{{cite news|last1=Langston|first1=Jennifer|title=Judge pays off debt for cutting park trees|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Judge-pays-off-debt-for-cutting-park-trees-1204642.php|accessdate=October 4, 2016|work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=May 26, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Conklin|first1=Ellis E.|title=Seattle homeowners accused of felling 150 trees on public land for a better view|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/04/seattle-homeowners-cut-down-trees-better-view-lawsuit|accessdate=October 12, 2017|work=The Guardian (UK)|date=October 4, 2016}}</ref> After Farris refused to pay the fine on time the city placed a lien on his 8,000 square-foot [[Mount Baker, Seattle|Mount Baker]] house.<ref name=timesoct>{{cite news|last1=Seattle Times Staff|title=Judge got view, lost perspective|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/judge-got-view-lost-perspective|accessdate=October 4, 2016|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=October 26, 2005}}</ref> Farris claimed the trees were cut down due to a miscommunication with his Vietnamese gardener, which the gardener denied.<ref name=timesoct/> A jury heard testimony from the gardener when Farris sued his homeowner's insurer for coverage of the fine.<ref name=timesdec>{{cite news|last1=Westneat|first1=Danny|title=Sometimes the little folks win|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/sometimes-the-little-folks-win/|accessdate=October 4, 2016|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=December 16, 2005}}</ref> The jury ruled against Farris.<ref name=timesdec/> Farris finally paid the full fine (with interest) in the amount of $618,000 in May 2006.<ref name=pi06/>
 
==Civic activities==
In 1985, Governor [[Mike Lowry]] appointed Farris to a six-year term as a Regent of the University of Washington, and then he was re-appointed by Governor [[Gary Locke]], serving until 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title=All Regents: 1861-Present|url=https://www.washington.edu/regents/officers/all-regents/|publisher=University of Washington|accessdate=October 13, 2017}}</ref> SinceStarting in 1999, he has served on the Board of Trustees of his ''[[alma mater]]'', Morehouse College, from which he received a [[Doctor of Law]] (LL.D.) in 1978.<ref>{{cite book|title=Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, Vol 2|date=1995|publisher=Aspen Publishers|isbn=0735568898|page=67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1PW0pzLlL2cC&pg=RA1-PA67&lpg=RA1-PA67&dq=%22jerome+farris%22+%22order+of+the+coif%22&sourcepg=bl&ots=hTddy_J_bN&sig=B3kWLHJommt41GKgBDcxFJRIpV0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiOypacxO3WAhVoxlQKHb7qCR0Q6AEIODAE#v=onepage&q=%22jerome%20farris%22%20%22order%20of%20the%20coif%22&f=falseRA1-PA67|accessdate=October 13, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2011-2013 College Bulletin, Morehouse College Board of Trustees|url=https://www.morehouse.edu/admissions/home/pdf/2011-2013-Morehouse-College-Bulletin.pdf|publisher=Morehouse College|accessdate=October 13, 2017|format=PDF|page=252}}</ref>
 
==Personal life==
On June 27, 1957, Farris married Jean Marie Shy in [[King County, Washington|King County]], Washington, and they had two daughters: Juli and Janelle.<ref name="st">{{cite news|title=Obituary: Jean Shy Farris|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/FARRIS/2001-09/1000772880|accessdate=October 13, 2017|work=Seattle Times|publisher=Rootsweb.com|date=December 3, 1992}}</ref> Jean died on December 2, 1992.<ref name="st"/> Jerome died on July 23, 2020, in Seattle, Washington.<ref name=“fjc”/>
 
== See also ==
* [[List of African-American juristsfederal judges]]
* [[Category:List of African-American lawyersjurists]]▼
* [[List of United States federal judges by longevity of service]]
 
==References==
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==External links==
*{{FJC Bio|737|nid=1380636|name=Joseph Jerome Farris<!--(1930–)-->}}
*[https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1033/joseph-jerome-farris/ Court opinions by Jerome Farris]. Courtlistener.com.
*[https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/search/african-american African American Judges on the Federal Courts]. Federal Judicial Center.
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[[Category:1930 births]]
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[[Category:African-American judges]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
▲[[Category:African-American lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century American judges]]
[[Category:21st-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American lawyers]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Farris"