Gordon Jay Quist (born November 12, 1937) is a
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
of the
.
Education and career
Quist was born in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
. He received a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree from
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
in 1959 and a
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from
George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...
in 1962. He was in private practice in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
from 1962 to 1964. He was in private practice in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
from 1964 to 1966 and in Grand Rapids from 1967 to 1992.
Federal judicial service
On March 20, 1992, Quist was nominated by President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
to a new seat on the
created by 104 Stat. 5089. Quist was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on June 26, 1992, and received his commission on June 30, 1992. He assumed
senior status on January 1, 2006.
He assumed inactive senior status effective January 1, 2023.
Notable opinions
In 2009, Quist reversed a ruling he had earlier made denying an American reservist the right to sue for relief after agents of
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
...
had illegally foreclosed on the reservist's house (in violation of the
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (formerly called the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940) (codified a50 U.S.C. §§ 3901—4043 is a United States federal law that protects soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen, and ...
). Quist subsequently ruled that punitive damages against Deutsche Bank and its agents were not warranted.
On December 27, 2011, Quist ruled that homeless sex offenders may stay overnight at shelters near schools in Grand Rapids despite a state law prohibiting them from living within 1,000 feet of a school. Quist rejected a request for an injunction to prevent enforcement of provisions of the
Sex Offenders Registration Act
Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inherit ...
and student safety zones. He determined that homeless people do not "reside" in emergency shelters if they go there only at night to sleep and have no guarantee of a place to stay on a given night.
On December 18, 2014, a federal appeals panel reversed a previous ruling by Judge Quist that had prevented a man from owning a firearm because he had been committed to a psychiatric hospital on January 2, 1986 following "an emotionally devastating divorce." Tyler was crying non-stop, not sleeping, depressed, and suicidal at this time. A probate court involuntarily committed the then-43-year-old to a treatment facility. Judge Quist originally granted the federal government's request to dismiss Tyler's case, determined that lawmakers purposely made it difficult for those with mental illness in their past, no matter how long ago, to legally own a gun. Recent psychiatric evaluations showed that Tyler, who has no criminal record, isn't a risk to himself or others, and has no substance-abuse issues.
The panel said Congress, through its relief-from-disabilities program, has already decided that not all previously committed to a mental institution are so dangerous that they are permanently denied a right to a firearm. Tyler was denied access to relief because the state he lived in had no such programs.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quist, Gordon Jay
1937 births
Living people
Michigan State University alumni
George Washington University Law School alumni
Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
United States district court judges appointed by George H. W. Bush
21st-century American judges