Judge Julia Gibbons
Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Julia Smith Gibbons was born in December 1950 in Pulaski, Tennessee. She earned an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. She clerked at the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals before entering into private practice. Several years later, she joined Governor Lamar Alexander’s staff as a legal adviser.
She was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. She was confirmed by the Senate and received her commission in June 1983. She served six years as Chief Judge.
In 2001, she was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The Senate confirmed her in a 95-0 vote, and she received that commission in July 2002.
She is married to Bill Gibbons.
In the News…
Gyms and fitness centers in Michigan were scheduled to reopen after an order by Michigan’s governor had been overruled by a U.S. District Judge. But the case was appealed, and a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued an emergency ruling reversing the lower court’s order and upholding the governor and her administration to keep gyms and fitness centers closed.
In their ruling, the court said, “We sympathize deeply with the business owners and their patrons affected by the governor’s order. Crises like COVID-19 can call for quick, decisive measures to save lives. Yet those measures can have extreme costs—costs that often are not borne evenly.
“The decision to impose those costs rests with the political branches of government, in this case, Governor Whitmer. Her motion for an emergency stay is granted.”
The ruling may be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, attorneys said.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Gibbons today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Julia Gibbons
Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse
100 East Fifth Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
