Robert Jensen Bryan (born October 29, 1934) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Education and career

Bryan was born in

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city ...

. 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 ...

Reserve from 1955 to 1957, and 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 the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

in 1956, where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He earned 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 the University of Washington School of Law in 1958. He was in private practice in Bremerton from 1959 to 1967. He was then a judge on the Superior Court of Washington from 1967 to 1984, including service as a judge pro tem, Washington State Court of Appeals in 1975 and as a judge pro tem on the Washington State Supreme Court from 1979 to 1982. He was in private practice in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

from 1984 to 1986.

Federal judicial service

On February 3, 1986, Bryan was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington created by 98 Stat. 333. 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 April 24, 1986, and received his commission on May 7, 1986. He assumed senior status on November 1, 2000. On August 30, 2021, Bryan dismissed a lawsuit challenging Washington's ban on conversion therapy for minors. The 9th circuit affirmed Bryan in September 2022, and the Supreme Court denied certiorari on December 11, 2023.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Robert Jensen 1943 births Living people 21st-century American judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington Superior court judges in the United States United States Army soldiers United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan University of Washington alumni University of Washington Delta Upsilon alumni University of Washington School of Law alumni Delta Upsilon members