From left to right: Judge Jones, Angela Chan, Ms. Chan’s mother, and Andre Segura, at Ms. Chan’s swearing in.

Judge napOleOn a. JOnes, in memOriam By: angela Chan and andre segura

“Mike, go get the cuddlies,” Judge Napoleon A. Jones, Jr. directed his big burly bailiff. Seven children, ages 7 to 17, from a large Vietnamese American family looked on anxiously from the jury box. The bailiff left the courtroom, returning with an arm full of stuffed animals. He handed one to each child to comfort them as Judge Jones deliberated regarding a juvenile court matter.

Prior to becoming only the second African American judge to serve in the Southern District of California, Judge Jones was a state court judge. No matter the courtroom over which he presided, Judge Jones treated e a c h c a s e a n d person before him wi th the u tmos t respect worthy of his undivided attention. One of his favorite sayings, “there is no such thing as a small case, only a small lawyer,” captures the spirit that drove his nearly fifty year career serving the public interest.

B o r n i n H o d g e , Louisiana on August 25, 1940, his family moved to San Diego a year later to seek better opportunities. He grew up in the neighborhood of Logan Heights, attending public school and spending most of his time after school at the nearby Boys & Girls Club. Upon graduating from San Diego State University in 1962, Judge Jones served in the Army where he picked up the habit of becoming an early morning riser. Later as a judge, his preference for 8:00 a.m. hearings earned him the nickname “early bird Jones.”

After serving in the Army, Judge Jones returned to San Diego State to earn a Masters in Social Work so that he could pursue his passion of helping to improve the quality of life for low-income children. Several years later, Judge Jones attended the University of San Diego School of Law, with the belief that he could be more effective at obtaining social change through legal advocacy. His first job out of law school in 1971 was with California Rural Legal Assistance in Modesto, California where he advocated on behalf of farm workers and other

marginalized communities. Judge Jones continued his budding legal career as a public defender for Defenders, Inc. in San Diego.

In 1977, Judge Jones was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the San Diego Municipal Court, making him only the second African-American state judge in the county. His devotion to handling each case before him with care and compassion earned him the honor of becoming the first judge to receive the San Diego Trial Lawyer’s award for municipal court trial judge of the year.

After serving for five years in municipal court, Judge Jones was elevated to the Superior Court of California where he served for two terms as the presiding judge for the Juvenile C o u r t D i v i s i o n . When he received the appointment to juvenile court, he remarked, “I think this is probably the m o s t i m p o r t a n t assignment we have.

If we can’t do something meaningful here, they (the juveniles) end up downtown (in adult court). If we’re going to stop it, we’re going to stop it here.” His deeply-held belief that each child should be given every opportunity to succeed guided his concern for each child who came before him.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Jones to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Arriving at the federal courthouse each morning at 5:00 a.m., if he did not take the bus, he would usually drive his trusty pick-up truck or, on special occasions, his fully-restored, immaculately-clean 1960s Volkswagen bus. Before most of us had brushed our teeth, the Judge was already dutifully reviewing the cases set for hearings that day. He usually listened to music from his expansive jazz collection, which he would use to playfully chide his law clerks for not knowing anything about real music.

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When court was in session, the Judge was stern and tough, but he was also always reasonable and respectful. He disliked having to repeat himself on the bench, but he also gave everyone his complete attention and time, and expected the same from others. He gave each defendant a chance to address the court. He listened carefully to each of them and responded with sage advice – never wanting to see a defendant back before him.

The Judge treated each case equally, regardless of the person’s status or the number of attorneys they had. He lamented the use of the term “alien” in the courtroom. While used in statutes, the Judge felt the word should not be used to describe a person actually present in the courtroom, as everyone is equally entitled to the decorum of our judicial system.

Highlighting the respect he had for each person who appeared before him, one of Judge Jones’ former law clerks remembers a civil rights action brought by a pro se plaintiff. Judge Jones denied the defendants’ motion for summary judgment after much discussion and urging from the clerk, only to have a jury ultimately return a verdict for the defendants after ten minutes of deliberations. The clerk, fearing a lost trust from the Judge, found nothing of the sort. Rather, in typical fashion, Judge Jones made a teaching moment out of it. After the verdict, he thanked the jury and explained the importance of the judicial process, and how in our country everyone - regardless of race, religion, and class - has a right to their day in Court. He also talked about how important it is for each of us to take seriously our role in protecting and participating in the judicial process. His former clerk recalls, “Instead of feeling like our time was just wasted, the Judge made us feel like we had all just been involved in the most important case in the world, and we were proud to have been there.”

After each morning’s hearings, the Judge would meet with his clerks and externs in his chambers. He would discuss each case and listen to our thoughts. Around 11 a.m., he would gather us for a walk around the bay. It was during these times that Judge Jones especially made his clerks feel like they were part of his family. He was interested in our lives, how our families were doing, and what he could do to guide and support us. He also shared with us stories about his young grandsons, whom

he adored and took delight in cheering on at each of their ball games.

Although the Judge moved away from Logan Heights, he never really left that community. He attended church at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Logan Heights until he passed away. He was a leader in his childhood Boys and Girls Club, serving on its board and rolling up his sleeves every year to flip pancakes and grill bacon for the annual breakfast fundraiser. Judge Jones mentored students from Valencia Park Elementary School and would invite classes from other local elementary schools into his courtroom to introduce children to the legal system. He considered it a success if he could reach just one child in his courtroom that day.

In an interview with the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, the Judge noted that “every jurist brings in their own unique life experiences to the court, and I think my life experience is different from that of most of the other judges. Certainly when you are dealing with human beings, you apply your life experiences, and I think that the bench has to reflect the community.” The Judge wanted each of his clerks to know where he came from, and took them on an annual day trip in a camper van to his childhood stomping grounds. Whether traversing from his childhood home, church, elementary school, or the park, at every turn, someone would yell out, “Hey Judge!” Each time, the Judge would pull up, get out of his car, and give them one of his famous bear hugs.

While the Judge carried with him a distinct perspective, he always applied the law in a just manner. He would say “Justice is too important to be subject to the whims of the individual jurist.” He grappled with the difficult cases, always wanting to ensure he was being fair and just. Judge Jones passed away from a battle with cancer on December 12, 2009. He leaves behind a legacy of establishing the highest standard to which every judge should aspire: treat each case that comes before you as the most important case in the world and treat each person as a human-being deserving of the fairest application of justice.