Gordon R. Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court (Seat E) | |
| In office June 5, 1961 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Appointed by | Grant Sawyer |
| Preceded by | Miles Nelson Pike |
| Succeeded by | Charles E. Springer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 2, 1918 Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died | February 4, 1995 (aged 76) |
Gordon R. Thompson (March 2, 1918 – February 4, 1995) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada from 1961 to 1980.[1][2][3]
Born in Reno, Nevada to Reuben C. Thompson and Mabel M. Thompson, Gordon Thompson was the younger brother of Bruce R. Thompson, who served as a federal judge from 1963 to 1978,[4] and both men had a sister, Mary. With his wife, Kathleen, Thompson had two daughters, Mada and Marie.[1][2][3]
After graduating from Reno High School in 1936, Thompson attended the University of Nevada, Reno, the same university his brother attended. After earning a bachelor's degree in 1940, Thompson, like his brother, left Reno to attend California's Stanford Law School, where he earned his LL.B. in 1943.[1][2][3][4]
From 1957 to 1959, Thompson served as one of five members of the Advisory Committee to the Supreme Court of Nevada on Rules of Civil Procedure.[5]
In 1961, Governor Grant Sawyer appointed Thompson to the Nevada Supreme Court, making him, at 42 years old, the youngest appointee to any state supreme court in the nation at that point.[1][2][3]
Re-elected three times, Thompson also served as chief justice several times.[1][2][3] Among Thompson's opponents for re-election was future Chief Justice Charles Springer, a former Sawyer ally who ran against Sawyer in the 1966 primary election and made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Thompson in 1974.[6]
During Thompson's tenure on the Court, it adopted the Nevada Rules on the Administrative Docket.[7]
Thompson retired from the Nevada Supreme Court in 1980,[1][2][3] citing conflicts among the court's justices.[8]
After leaving the court, Thompson taught law at the now-defunct Old College School of Law.[1][2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "SCR 47: Memorializes former Chief Justice of Nevada Supreme Court, Gordon R. Thompson". Nevada State Legislature. June 7, 1995.
- ^ a b c d e f g "G. R. Thompson, 76, Nevada Justice". The New York Times. February 6, 1995.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Gordon R. Thompson". San Francisco Chronicle. February 6, 1995.
- ^ a b Bruce Rutherford Thompson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure". Supreme Court of Nevada. September 30, 2011.
- ^ "Springer becomes Chief Justice". Las Vegas Sun. January 5, 1998.
- ^ "Nevada Rules on the Administrative Docket". Supreme Court of Nevada. September 30, 2011.
- ^ "Nevada Judge Battle Simmers As Voting Nears". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. October 2, 1980.