Kent Amos Jordan (born October 24, 1957) is a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * East ...

. He was previously a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Delaware The United States District Court for the District of Delaware (in case citations, D. Del.) is the Federal district court having jurisdiction over the entire state of Delaware. The Court sits in Wilmington. Currently, four district judges and ...

from 2002 to 2006.

Early life

Jordan was born in

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, on October 24, 1957. Jordan is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

. He served a mission in Japan.

Education and clerkship

Jordan completed his undergraduate studies at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

in 1981 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree (majoring in economics), and received his Juris Doctor from

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

in 1984. Jordan clerked for Judge James L. Latchum on the

from 1984 to 1985.

Legal background

Jordan was in private practice in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

from 1985 to 1987 and again from 1992 to 1997. In between, from 1987 to 1992, he worked for the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Delaware. He also taught at the

Widener University School of Law Widener University Delaware Law School (Delaware Law School and formerly Widener University School of Law) is a private law school in Wilmington, Delaware. It is one of two separate ABA-accredited law schools of Widener University. Widener Un ...

from 1995 to 1996 as an adjunct professor. He was vice president and general counsel for the

Corporation Service Company CSC is a company founded on January 1, 1899, that operates in a range of sectors. It is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, CSC has offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. History Corporation Service Company (CSC) w ...

from 1998 to 2002 in Wilmington, Delaware. Jordan currently teaches as an adjunct professor for the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

Vanderbilt University Law School Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as Vanderbilt Law School or VLS) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law School has consiste ...

, and Widener University School of Law.

Federal judicial service

Jordan was nominated to a vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

on July 25, 2002, and confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on November 14, 2002, by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. He received his commission on November 15, 2002. His service as a district court judge was terminated on December 15, 2006 when he was elevated to the court of appeals. Four years later, Bush nominated Jordan to the Third Circuit on June 28, 2006, to fill a vacancy left by Judge

Jane Richards Roth Jane Richards Roth (born June 16, 1935) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She was previously a United States district judge of the Unite ...

. He was confirmed to that court by a 91–0 vote on December 8, 2006 during the waning hours of the final

lame duck session A lame-duck session of Congress in the United States occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected, but before the successor's term begins. The expression is now used not only for a special session called after a sine die adjo ...

of the

109th Congress The 109th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, dur ...

.On the Nomination (Confirmation Kent A. Jordan of Delaware to be U.S. Circuit Judge)
/ref> He received his commission on December 13, 2006. Jordan's first precedential opinion for the Third Circuit was published on May 2, 2007. He authored the opinion for a unanimous three-judge panel i
''Eichorn v. AT&T II''
an

ERISA The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (, codified in part at ) is a U.S. federal tax and labor law that establishes minimum standards for pension plans in private industry. It contains rules on the federal income tax eff ...

claims case. Judge Roth, whom Jordan was confirmed to replace, was a member of the panel.

References

External links

* *O'Sullivan, Sean
"Del. lawmakers support Jordan at hearing"

Delaware News-Journal ''The News Journal'' is the main newspaper for Wilmington, Delaware, and the surrounding area. It is headquartered in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near New Castle, and is owned by Gannett. History The ancestry of the News Journ ...

, September 7, 2006.
Profile of Jordan prepared by Widener University School of LawPenn Law Faculty Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Kent Amos 1957 births Living people 20th-century Mormon missionaries 21st-century American judges Latter Day Saints from Delaware American Mormon missionaries in Japan Assistant United States Attorneys Brigham Young University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware People from West Point, New York United States court of appeals judges appointed by George W. Bush United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush University of Pennsylvania Law School faculty Widener University faculty Vanderbilt University Law School faculty