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John J. Gibbons
John J. Gibbons is the founder of the firm's John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest and Constitutional Law. Mr. Gibbons is the former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, he served on that Court from 1970-1990. Mr. Gibbons is a Past President of the New Jersey State Bar Association, a Life Member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is a former member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association and a former Chair of its Committee on Fair Trial and Free Press. He is a former Director of the American Arbitration Association, a Trustee Emeritus of the Practicing Law Institute, a Trustee Emeritus of Holy Cross College and a Trustee of The Fund for New Jersey.While serving on the Court of Appeals, Judge Gibbons authored 800 published opinions. He formerly taught Constitutional Law and other subjects at Seton Hall University Law School, where he held the Richard J. Hughes Chair in Constitutional Law until June of 1997. He also taught at both Rutgers University Law School, Duke University Law School, and Suffolk University Law School. He has authored numerous Law Review articles. He was a leader in the successful legislative effort in New Jersey to abolish the death penalty, and is currently active in the death penalty abolition movement in other states. The John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest and Constitutional Law has litigated cases resulting in more than 125 reported decisions, including several in the United States Supreme Court in cases which he argued personally.
Since returning to practice, Mr. Gibbons has headed the firm's Alternative Dispute Resolution Group. He is a member of the National Panel of Distinguished Neutrals of the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution and has served as an arbitrator and a mediator in a number of large commercial disputes among major corporations. He has also engaged in litigation involving antitrust, intellectual property law and securities regulation.
Education
Harvard Law School (LL.B, cum laude, 1950)Member, Harvard Law Review, 1949-1950
College of the Holy Cross (B.S., 1947)
Professional Admissions
State of New Jersey 1950 United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1950
United States Supreme Court 1960
Professional Activities
Member, 1960-1964, and Chairman, 1963-1964, New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners Member, Governors Select Committee on Civil Disorders, 1967-1968
Member, New Jersey Council Against Crime, 1968-1970
Member, Council of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 1968-1970
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Member, Essex County Bar Association
President, New Jersey State Bar Association, 1967-1968
Member, American Bar Association
Publications
"Commentary on the Terror on Trial Symposium," 28 U. Texas Review of Litigation 297, 2008
"Chief Justice John Marshall and Federalism," 16 St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary 351, 2002
"Symposium, Fresh Considerations on Federalism and Separation of Powers," 31 Seton Hall Law Review 15, 2000
"Megan's Law," 13 New York Law School Journal of Human Rights 56, 1996
"Convergence In Communication Technology and the First Amendment," 25 Seton Hall Law Review 1375, 1995
"The Quality of Judges is What Country the End," 61 Brooklyn Law Review 45, 1995
"The Court's Role in Interbranch Disputes Over Oversight of Agency Rulemaking," 14 Cardoza Law Review 957, 1993
"Symposium, Emerging Constitutional Rights: Health Care and Education," 16 Seton Hall Legislative Journal 36, 1992
"Internationalism, History, and Legationary," 140 University of Pennsylvania Law Review 613, 1991
"Fictions," 20 Seton Hall Law Review 344, 1990
"Antitrust, Law & Economics, and Politics," 50 Law and Contemporary Problems 217, 1987
"The Antitrust Jurisprudence of the Third Circuit," 40 The Records of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York 198, 1985
"Tribute to Justice Brennan," 36 Rutgers Law Review 729, 1984
"Federal Law and the State Courts 1790-1860," 36 Rutgers Law Review 399, 1984
"The Eleventh Amendment and State Sovereign Immunity: a Reinterpretation," 83 Columbia Law Review 1890, 1983
"Book Review, R. Berger, Government by Judiciary: The Transformation of the Fourteenth Amendment," 31 Rutgers Law Review 839, 1978
"Hague v. CID: a Restrospective," 52 New York University Law Review 731, 1977
"Governance of Industrial Corporations in an Industrial Democracy," 31 The Business Lawyer, 1976
"Remarks at Commencement," 27 Rutgers Law Review 237, 1974
"Book Review, H. Friendly, Federal Jurisdiction: A General View," 48 New York University Law Review 564, 1973
"Waiver: The Quest For Functional Limitations on Habeas Corpus Jurisdiction," 2 Seton Hall Law Review 291, 1971
"Compensation for Automobile Accident Losses," No. 546 The Insurance Law Journal 615, 1968
Quotes/Interviews
Quoted in "The BP Escrow Fund: Chaos to Come," The Atlantic, June 16, 2010
Quoted in "Supporting the Heart and Soul of Seton Hall Law," Seton Hall Law Rising, Spring, 2009
Interviewed in "Newark Looks Back," The Caucus Educational Corporation's Series on Newark's Rebirth, April 2008 (John J. Gibbons, Michael R. Griffinger)
Interviewed in "Defending Our Freedom: 'If They Can Do This To The Guantanamo Detainees, They Can Do It To Me," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 2005
Quoted in "Military Detainees, Even Overseas, Are Entitled to Federal Habeas Review," New Jersey Law Journal, July 5, 2004
Quoted in "Gibbons Leads High Court Challenge To Guantanamo Bay Detentions," New Jersey Law Journal, April 26, 2004
Interviewed in "Newark lawyer argues for enemy combatants - High court gets Guantanamo Bay case," The Star-Ledger, April 19, 2004
Interviewed in "His Day In Court - Taking On Bush," New Jersey Lawyer, April 12, 2004
Interviewed in "Ex-Judge vs. the Government's Law-Free Zone," The New York Times, February 6, 2004
Quoted in "Ex-Judges Oppose U.S. on Detention," The National Law Journal, February 2, 2004
Quoted in "Former U.S. Judges Enter Fray Over Guantanamo Detentions," New Jersey Law Journal, January 26, 2004
Speaking Engagements
Panelist, New Jersey State Bar Association, "Nuts and Bolts of Practice Before the Third Circuit," Atlantic City, NJ. May 22, 2008Panelist, New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting Atlantic City, NJ. May 17, 2007
Panelist, American Branch of the International Law Association, "International Law Weekend 2005" New York City, NY. October 20, 2006 - October 22, 2006
Panelist, International Law Weekend 2005, Presented by the American Branch of the International Law Association at the House of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. October 20-22, 2005
Honors/Awards*
Listed as a "Local Litigation Star," Commercial Litigation, by Benchmark Litigation, 2010AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Listed in Super Lawyers, Appellate, 2010
Listed in Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Law Firms, Litigation: General Commercial, 2010
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Alternative Dispute Resolution and First Amendment Law, 2010
Stanley C. Van Ness Leadership Award for Public Interest Advocacy from the Public Interest Law Center of New Jersey, April 2001
Named one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America, The National Law Journal, 2006
Lifetime Achievers, 2005 Award, The American Lawyers, May, 2005
Named 2004 Lawyer of the Year, New Jersey Law Journal, December 27, 2004
Chosen to Serve on the Editorial Board of The National Law Journal, November 2004
Essex County Bar Association Lifetime Achievement Award, April 2001
Seton Hall University Law School Thurgood Marshall Award 1997
American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey
Roger N. Baldwin Civil Liberties Award 1996
New Jersey State Bar Foundation Medal of Honor 1995
Debevoise-Eakeley Award 1990
News
National Law Journal Names John Gibbons One of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in AmericaJohn J. Gibbons Leads High Court Challenge To Guantanamo Bay Detentions
John J. Gibbons Argued Before the Supreme Court on April 20, 2004
Legal Employment Background
Crummy, Gibbons & O'Neill, 1950-1970Judge, United States Court of Appeals, 1970-1990
Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 1987-1990
Military Service
United States Navy, (1943-1946) Lt. Jg.*No aspect of this communication has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Further information about methodologies for rating or selecting attorneys is available on our website’s Award Methodology page.

John J. Gibbons
Director
Business & Commercial Litigation
Practice Areas
Alternative Dispute ResolutionAppellate Practice
Class Action Defense
Criminal Defense
Gibbons Fellowship
Contact Information
One Gateway CenterNewark, NJ 07102-5310
Direct: 973-596-4733
Fax: 973-639-6271
jgibbons @gibbonslaw.com
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