John Clifford Wallace

John Clifford Wallace (born December 11, 1928) is a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and previously was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.

John Wallace
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office April 8, 1996
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
In office January 31, 1991 – April 8, 1996
Preceded by	Alfred Goodwin
Succeeded by	Procter Ralph Hug Jr.
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
In office June 28, 1972 – April 8, 1996
Appointed by	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	James Marshall Carter
Succeeded by	Kim McLane Wardlaw
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
In office October 16, 1970 – July 14, 1972
Appointed by	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Seat established by 84 Stat. 294
Succeeded by	William Benner Enright
Personal details
Born	John Clifford Wallace (1928-12-11) December 11, 1928 San Diego, California
Education	San Diego State University (B.A.) UC Berkeley School of Law (LL.B.)

Education and career

Born in San Diego, California,[1] Wallace received a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University in 1952, and a Bachelor of Laws from UC Berkeley School of Law in 1955. He served in the United States Navy as a Second Class Petty Officer from 1946 to 1949. He was in private practice in San Diego from 1955 to 1970, at the law firm of Gray Carey Ames & Frye.[2]

Federal judicial service

Wallace was nominated by President Richard Nixon on October 7, 1970, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, to a new seat authorized by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 13, 1970, and received his commission on October 16, 1970. His service terminated on July 14, 1972, due to his elevation to the Ninth circuit.[2]

Wallace was nominated by President Nixon on May 22, 1972, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated by Judge James Marshall Carter. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 28, 1972, and received his commission on June 28, 1972. He served as Chief Judge from 1991 to 1996. He assumed senior status on April 8, 1996. As a senior judge, Wallace has a reduced caseload, but he continues to hear cases in the Ninth Circuit, and he sits by designation from time to time as a visiting judge on other federal appellate courts.[2]

On July 31, 2018, Wallace wrote an opinion ruling against the sheriff Joe Arpaio. He was joined by Judges Graber and Berzon.[3] On October 22, 2019, Wallace wrote a 2-1 opinion that prohibited religious exemptions for businesses that did not want to participate in the healthcare system due to support of contraceptives. Wallace was joined by Graber, over the dissent of Kleinfeld.[4]

References

1. Judicial Conference of the United States. Bicentennial Committee (1978). Judges of the United States. The Committee : for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
2. John Clifford Wallace at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
3. http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2018/07/31/16-16661.pdf
4. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-birth-control-religious-exemptions-federal-court-rules-california

Sources

• J. Clifford Wallace Papers, MSS 7730; 20th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts; L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
• John Clifford Wallace at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Legal offices
Preceded by Seat established by 82 Stat. 294	Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California 1970–1972	Succeeded by William Benner Enright
Preceded by James Marshall Carter	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1972–1996	Succeeded by Kim McLane Wardlaw
Preceded by Alfred Goodwin	Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1991–1996	Succeeded by Procter Ralph Hug Jr.