Shirley Brannock Jones (June 29, 1925 – May 23, 2019) 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 District of Maryland The United States District Court for the District of Maryland (in case citations, D. Md.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Maryland. Appeals from the District of Maryland are taken ...

Education and career

Born in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, Jones received an

Associate of Arts An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

degree from the

Baltimore Junior College Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a public community college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the only community college in the city and the only state-sponsored community college in the state. It is accredited by the Middle States Commi ...

(now

Baltimore City Community College Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a public community college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the only community college in the city and the only state-sponsored community college in the state. It is accredited by the Middle States Commi ...

) in 1944 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 the

University of Baltimore School of Law The University of Baltimore School of Law, or the UB School of Law, is one of the four colleges that make up the University of Baltimore, which is part of the University System of Maryland. The UBalt School of Law is one of only two law schools i ...

in 1946. She was an attorney for the Maryland Department of Employment Security from 1946 to 1952. She was an assistant city solicitor for the City of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland from 1952 to 1958. She was an assistant state attorney general of Maryland from 1958 to 1959. She was a judge of the Orphan's Court for the City of Baltimore from 1959 to 1961. She was a judge of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore from 1961 to 1979. She was a lecturer in legal ethics for the University of Baltimore School of Law from 1961 to 1968.

Federal judicial service

Jones was nominated by President

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 May 22, 1979, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 92 Stat. 1629. She 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 October 4, 1979, and received her commission on October 5, 1979. Her service terminated on December 31, 1982, due to resignation.

Post judicial career

Jones engaged in the private practice of law in Baltimore following her resignation from the bench. She died on May 23, 2019, aged 93, from pneumonia.

References

Sources

* 1925 births 2019 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland People from Cambridge, Maryland United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter University of Baltimore School of Law alumni 20th-century American women judges {{US-federal-judge-stub