Kent Jordan
Kent A. Jordan was a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He joined the court in 2006 after being nominated by President George W. Bush (R).[1]
Jordan retired on January 15, 2025.[2][3]
Biography
Early life and education
Born in West Point, New York, Jordan graduated from Brigham Young University with his bachelor's degree in 1981 and from Georgetown University Law Center with his J.D. in 1984.[1]
Professional career
- 2006-2025: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
- 2002-2006: Judge, United States District Court for the District of Delaware
- 1998-2002: Vice president and general counsel, Corporation Service Company, Wilmington, Del.
- 1995-1996: Adjunct professor, Widener University School of Law
- 1992-1997: Private practice, Delaware
- 1987-1992: Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Delaware
- 1985-1987: Private practice, Delaware
- 1984-1985: Law clerk, Hon. James Latchum, United States District Court for the District of Delaware[1]
Judicial career
Third Circuit Court of Appeals
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Kent A. Jordan |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 163 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: June 28, 2006
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: September 6, 2006
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: September 26, 2006
|
| Confirmed: December 8, 2006
|
| Vote: 91-0
|
Jordan was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit by President George W. Bush (R) on June 28, 2006, to a seat vacated by Jane Roth. The American Bar Association rated Jordan Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination.[4] Hearings on Jordan's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on September 6, 2006, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) on September 26, 2006. Jordan was confirmed on a recorded 91-0 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 8, 2006, and he received his commission on December 13, 2006.[1][5]
Jordan retired on January 15, 2025.[3]
District of Delaware
Jordan was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Delaware by President George W. Bush (R) on July 25, 2002, to a seat vacated by Roderick McKelvie. The American Bar Association rated Jordan Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination.[6] Hearings on Jordan's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 18, 2002, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on October 8, 2002. Jordan was confirmed on a voice vote of the United States Senate on November 14, 2002, and he received his commission the next day. He resigned from the district court on December 15, 2006, upon his elevation to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.[1][7] Jordan was succeeded in this position by Judge Leonard Stark.
Noteworthy cases
Dismissal of suit over mandatory retirement age for PA judges affirmed (2014)
- See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit (Lerner, at al v. Corbett, et al, 13-4184)
- See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit (Lerner, at al v. Corbett, et al, 13-4184)
On April 29, 2014, a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit composed of Judges Jordan, Thomas Ambro, and Senior Judge Jane Roth, upheld a decision rendered by Judge John E. Jones, III of the Middle District of Pennsylvania to dismiss a suit brought by group of Pennsylvania judges challenging the state's retirement age law.[8]
In the underlying case, the plaintiff judges alleged that their forced retirement at the age of 70 was based on preconceived notions of senior citizens’ deteriorating cognitive abilities, relying heavily on the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Judge Jones found those arguments "unconvincing," further noting that the plaintiffs did not have a due process claim as they did not have a constitutionally protected property interest in continued judicial employment.[8]
In an opinion written by Judge Ambro, the plaintiff judges' claims were again rebuked, with Ambro stating that their Fourteenth Amendment rights had not been violated. Judge Ambro further noted that the plaintiffs' claims that opinions reached in the United States v. Windsor and Shelby County v. Holder cases before the Supreme Court of the United States served as intervening authority failed as a matter of law, as controlling precedent already existed.[8]
See also
- United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of Delaware
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Federal Judicial Center, "Jordan, Kent A.," accessed January 22, 2025
- ↑ United States Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed September 19, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Jordan, Kent A.," accessed January 22, 2025
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 1746 — Kent A. Jordan — The Judiciary," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 107th Congress," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 2023 — Kent A. Jordan — The Judiciary," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 PennLive.com, "U.S. Appeals Court backs Pa. judge retirement mandate," April 29, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jane Roth |
United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit 2006-2025 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Roderick McKelvie |
United States District Court for the District of Delaware 2002-2006 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jennifer Hall • Gregory Williams (Delaware) | ||
| Senior judges | |||
| Magistrate judges | Christopher J. Burke (Delaware) • Sherry R. Fallon • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Greg Sleet • Joseph Farnan • Sue Robinson • Leonard Stark • Gunning Bedford • John Fisher (Delaware) • Willard Hall • Edward Green Bradford • Leonard Eugene Wales • Walter Stapleton (federal judge) • Jane Roth • Kent Jordan • Edward Green Bradford II • Hugh Martin Morris • John Percy Nields • James Latchum • Caleb Layton • Paul Leahy • Roderick McKelvie • Richard Rodney • Edwin Steel • Caleb Wright • Murray Schwartz • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Greg Sleet • Joseph Farnan • Sue Robinson • Leonard Stark • Walter Stapleton (federal judge) • James Latchum • Paul Leahy • Caleb Wright • Joseph Longobardi • Murray Schwartz • | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
