Robert James McNichols (April 19, 1922 – December 20, 1992) was a

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

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (in case citations, E.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Ch ...

Education and career

McNichols was born in

Bonners Ferry Bonners Ferry (Kutenai language: ʔaq̓anqmi) is the largest city in and the county seat of Boundary County, Idaho, Boundary County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,543 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The Porthill-Ryk ...

, Idaho. He was in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, from 1940 to 1941 and from 1943 to 1946 and became a

technician fifth grade Technician fifth grade (abbreviated T/5 or Tec 5) was a rank of the United States Army from 1942 to 1948. The rank was created to recognize enlisted soldiers with special technical skills, but who were not trained as combat leaders. History ...

. He attended

Washington State College Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an un ...

in Pullman,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and the

Gonzaga University School of Law The Gonzaga University School of Law (also known as Gonzaga Law or GU Law) is the professional school for the study of law at Gonzaga University. Established in 1912, the Jesuit-affiliated law school has been fully accredited by the American Ba ...

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

, Washington. Following his first year as a law student in 1949, he worked for the Spokane Stock Exchange as a quotation

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

, and received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from Gonzaga in 1952. McNichols was a

law clerk A law clerk, judicial clerk, or judicial assistant is a person, often a lawyer, who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by Legal research, researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial ...

Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. ...

Justice Edward Schaellenback in 1952. He was a deputy prosecuting attorney of

Spokane County Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest c ...

from 1953 to 1954, and was in private practice in Spokane with the firm of Winston and Cashatt for 24 years, from 1955 to 1979.

Federal judicial service

McNichols was nominated by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

on November 6, 1979, to the

, to a new seat created earlier that year by 92 Stat. 1629. He 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 December 5, 1979, and received his commission on December 10, 1979, and was sworn in on January 4, 1980. He was Chief Judge from 1980 to 1989, and assumed senior status on April 20, 1991. He served in that capacity for twenty months, until his death from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

in Spokane on December 20, 1992. He is buried in Idaho at the St. Thomas Cemetery in Coeur d'Alene.

Family

McNichols' older brother Raymond Clyne McNichols (1914–1985) was also a federal judge, in Idaho. During his investiture to the federal bench in January 1980, the elder swore the younger in.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McNichols, Robert James 1922 births 1993 deaths Gonzaga University School of Law alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter People from Bonners Ferry, Idaho Military personnel from Idaho United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II