Richard A. Jones

Richard Anthony Jones[1] (born 1950) is an attorney and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, Washington. His varied career includes service as a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, Washington, attorney for the Port of Seattle, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the region, in addition to private practice.

For the professor of physics, see Richard A. Jones (physicist).
Richard A. Jones
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
Assumed office
October 29, 2007
Appointed byGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byJohn C. Coughenour
Judge of the King County Superior Court
In office
1994–2007
Personal details
Born
Richard Anthony Jones

1950 (age 70–71)
Seattle, Washington
Spouse(s)Leslie Jones
RelativesQuincy Jones (half-brother)
Quincy Jones III (half-nephew)
Kidada Jones (half-niece)
Rashida Jones (half-niece)
Kenya Kinski-Jones (half-niece)
EducationSeattle University (BPA)
University of Washington (JD)

Early life and education

Born in Seattle, Washington in 1950, Jones is the son of Quincy Delight Jones, Sr., who worked as a semi-professional baseball player and carpenter, and his second wife. He is 17 years younger than his half-brother Quincy Jones, the noted musician and producer.[2][3]

After attending Seattle public schools, Richard Jones received a Bachelor of Public Administration degree from Seattle University in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law in 1975. He was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 1977.[1]

Career

Jones was a Community liaison officer, Office of King County Prosecuting Attorney, Washington from 1975 to 1977. He was a Deputy prosecuting attorney of the Office of King County Prosecuting Attorney from 1977 to 1978. He was a staff attorney of the Port of Seattle from 1978 to 1983.

After being in private practice with the major law firm of Bogle & Gates in Seattle from 1983 to 1988, he became an Assistant United States Attorney of the United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington. He served there from 1988 to 1994.

Judicial service

Jones served as a judge on the King County Superior Court, Washington from 1994 to 2007. During this period, he presided over several high-profile cases, including the prosecution of Gary Ridgway, the notorious "Green River Killer" who was known to have killed 48 women.[3]

Jones is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Jones was nominated by a bipartisan panel in Washington and by President George W. Bush on March 19, 2007, to a seat vacated by John C. Coughenour. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 4, 2007, and received his commission on October 29, 2007.

Privacy/Surveillance

Some Jones decisions expanding state surveillance powers have been controversial, including one in 2017 to allow unfettered warrantless camera surveillance by the City of Seattle by barring the public release, in response to a public records request, of information regarding cameras installed by the FBI.[4] In a 2016 case also narrowing the scope of a citizen's reasonable expectation of privacy, he ruled that users of the Tor anonymity network, the purpose of which is to provide privacy, do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and was criticized for not understanding the technology.[5]

Personal

He is married to Leslie Jones, diversity program manager for Sound Transit.[3]

Community service

Jones has been active on the board of the YMCA. He also acts as a mentor to minority youth in Seattle.[3]

Awards and recognition
  • In 2003, Jones was among the most-highly rated King County Superior Court judges in a survey of lawyers by the King County Bar Association.
  • In 2004, he was named "judge of the year" by the King County and Washington State bar associations.

References
  1. https://www.mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/LegalDirectory/LegalProfile.aspx?Usr_ID=000000007671
  2. Lattman, Peter (October 9, 2007). "Law Blog Famous Family Member Fraternity: Richard Jones". Wall Street Journal Law Blog. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  3. Brunner, Jim (March 25, 2007). "Federal bench nominee Jones wins high praise from both parties". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  4. "City Councilmember Blasts FBI's 'Warrantless' Surveillance in Seattle". Security S & I. 27 January 2017.
  5. Mimoso, Michael (February 25, 2016). "Judge Confirms DoD Funded Research to Decloak Tor Users". threatpost.com. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
Legal offices
Preceded by
John C. Coughenour		 Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
2007–present		 Incumbent
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