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Sidney R. Thomas
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<h2 id="early-life-and-education">Early life and education</h2> <p>Thomas was born in <a href="/facts/Bozeman,_Montana/EeHvb9IV">Bozeman</a>, <a href="/facts/Montana/jPFKMuK5">Montana</a>. He received his <a href="/facts/Bachelor_of_Arts/2pa1nwfR">Bachelor of Arts</a> degree from <a href="/facts/Montana_State_University_-_Bozeman/2c8pVBCj">Montana State University</a> in 1975 and his <a href="/facts/Juris_Doctor/IcnGQNTB">Juris Doctor</a> with honors from the <a href="/facts/University_of_Montana_School_of_Law/USvan8Sj">University of Montana School of Law</a> in 1978.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> He was appointed as a student member of the state Board of Regents of Higher Education in 1974 and reappointed in 1976.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="professional-career">Professional career</h2> <p>After graduating from <a href="/facts/Law_school/G97pqWqN">law school</a>, Thomas entered private practice at Moulton, Bellingham, Longo & Mather, a <a href="/facts/Law_firm/NQ2T1qI0">law firm</a> in <a href="/facts/Billings,_Montana/pEamH8TG">Billings, Montana</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> He became a senior partner there, where he specialized in commercial litigation<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> as well as government, bankruptcy and media law.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p>Thomas also served as the standing bankruptcy trustee for all bankruptcy cases filed in the Billings Division of the <a href="/facts/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Montana/NHWdcor3">United States District Court for the District of Montana</a> from 1978 to 1981 and served as an adjunct instructor in law at <a href="/facts/Rocky_Mountain_College/wFzBY3tV">Rocky Mountain College</a> from 1982 to 1995.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="federal-judicial-service">Federal judicial service</h2> <p>On July 19, 1995, President <a href="/facts/Bill_Clinton/x5mwYkVh">Bill Clinton</a> nominated Thomas to a seat on the <a href="/facts/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit/1CXnSzs9">United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit</a> vacated by Judge <a href="/facts/Dorothy_Wright_Nelson/bjbQatPM">Dorothy Wright Nelson</a>. His nomination had been briefly held up by <a href="/facts/U.S._Senator/VyzXHE01">U.S. Senator</a> <a href="/facts/Conrad_Burns/YCSnnpU7">Conrad Burns</a> of Montana, who wanted the nominations of Thomas and <a href="/facts/A._Wallace_Tashima/PpUVax2j">A. Wallace Tashima</a> delayed until the passage of a bill to split the Ninth Circuit into two circuits.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> The <a href="/facts/United_States_Senate/VyzXHE01">United States Senate</a> confirmed Thomas on January 2, 1996 by a <a href="/facts/Voice_vote/TDSflf1Y">voice vote</a>. He received his commission on January 4, 1996. He served as <a href="/facts/Chief_judge_(United_States)/a6MwolgY">Chief Judge</a> from December 1, 2014 to December 1, 2021.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> On March 29, 2022, he announced his intent to assume <a href="/facts/Senior_status/urWSoE93">senior status</a> upon confirmation of a successor.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> He assumed <a href="/facts/Senior_status/urWSoE93">senior status</a> on May 4, 2023.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <h3>En banc coordinator</h3> <p>Judge Thomas is the <a href="/facts/En_banc/5R5JY87I">en banc</a> coordinator for the Ninth Circuit, whose parliamentarian-type duties can affect the outcome of any case. "I've never known one of his rulings to be challenged," the Ninth Circuit's Chief Judge, <a href="/facts/Alex_Kozinski/3MfMyUNx">Alex Kozinski</a>, stated in 2010. "I think it's a tribute to his evenhandedness that he's been on the job for many years, and nobody wants a different en banc coordinator."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="supreme-court-consideration">Supreme Court consideration</h2> <p>Senior White House officials listed Thomas among the approximately 10 individuals who were considered to replace retiring <a href="/facts/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States/rJHothwW">United States Supreme Court</a> <a href="/facts/Associate_Justice/aRsBsb2Y">Associate Justice</a> <a href="/facts/John_Paul_Stevens/5tSXW1gl">John Paul Stevens</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p><p>On April 29, 2010, <a href="/facts/President_of_the_United_States/oMsfmLb1">President</a> <a href="/facts/Barack_Obama/76wUMgL1">Barack Obama</a> and <a href="/facts/Vice_President_of_the_United_States/tYWUGv0A">Vice President</a> <a href="/facts/Joe_Biden/fe2ThfUp">Joe Biden</a> both separately interviewed Thomas at the <a href="/facts/White_House/CJQc7dKF">White House</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Obama eventually nominated <a href="/facts/Solicitor_General_of_the_United_States/tuQWaAjQ">Solicitor General</a> <a href="/facts/Elena_Kagan/7wgXvfFn">Elena Kagan</a>, who was confirmed. </p> <h2 id="notable-rulings">Notable rulings</h2> <p>Thomas authored the opinion in <i>Nadarajah v. Gonzales</i>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> a civil rights case in 2006 on a suspected <a href="/facts/Tamil_Tiger/rWpNHtoI">Tamil Tiger</a> immigrant. </p><p>Thomas was in the majority in <i><a href="/facts/Peruta_v._San_Diego/6GCU2XD2">Peruta v. San Diego</a></i>, a 2016 ordinance that ruled that <a href="/facts/San_Diego/YFUP7gB9">San Diego</a>'s restrictive gun policy was constitutional.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p>On June 26, 2020, Thomas ruled in favor of the <a href="/facts/Sierra_Club/BGbcjkD8">Sierra Club</a>, holding that the Department of Defense's decision to use $2.5 billion in Pentagon funds to fund the border wall violates the Appropriations Clause.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> On July 31, the ruling was effectively reversed in a 5–4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p><p>On May 13, 2021, Thomas ruled that an immigrant who arrived in the United States as a child does not need to have lawful permanent residency in order to derive citizenship from a parent who naturalized.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="personal">Personal</h2> <p>Thomas is married to Martha Sheehy, a <a href="/facts/Billings,_Montana/pEamH8TG">Billings</a> attorney who has practiced law since 1988.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Barack_Obama_Supreme_Court_candidates/KDwbEm1Y">Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates</a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/MGM_Studios,_Inc._v._Grokster,_Ltd./uMQhowGQ">MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.</a></i></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388711">Sidney R. Thomas</a> at the <i><a href="/facts/Biographical_Directory_of_Federal_Judges/hfzrzl2o">Biographical Directory of Federal Judges</a></i>, a publication of the <a href="/facts/Federal_Judicial_Center/Nr6NtamG">Federal Judicial Center</a>.</li> <li><a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?1001417">Appearances</a> on <a href="/facts/C-SPAN/MdgMU5eM">C-SPAN</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Senate Confirms Tashima, Thomas to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. January 3, 1996. p. 1. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Thackeray, Lorna (April 16, 2010). "Thomas' Colleagues Hail Judge's Credentials". Billings Gazette. Lee Enterprises. ISSN 2372-868X. <a href="https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_5c040910-492f-11df-88ed-001cc4c002e0.html/" target="_blank">https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_5c040910-492f-11df-88ed-001cc4c002e0.html/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Thackeray, Lorna (April 16, 2010). "Thomas' Colleagues Hail Judge's Credentials". Billings Gazette. Lee Enterprises. ISSN 2372-868X. <a href="https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_5c040910-492f-11df-88ed-001cc4c002e0.html/" target="_blank">https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_5c040910-492f-11df-88ed-001cc4c002e0.html/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Thackeray, Lorna (April 16, 2010). "Thomas' Colleagues Hail Judge's Credentials". Billings Gazette. Lee Enterprises. ISSN 2372-868X. <a href="https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_5c040910-492f-11df-88ed-001cc4c002e0.html/" target="_blank">https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_5c040910-492f-11df-88ed-001cc4c002e0.html/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Clinton Nominates Montana Lawyer for Ninth Circuit Seat". Associated Press. July 19, 1995. p. 1. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"President Nominates Sidney Thomas to Appeals Court". U.S. Newswire (Press release). July 20, 1995. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Senate Confirms Tashima, Thomas to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. January 3, 1996. p. 1. <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Thomas, Sidney Runyan". fjc.gov. Washington, DC: Federal Judicial Center. <a href="https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/thomas-sidney-runyan" target="_blank">https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/thomas-sidney-runyan</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Judge From Billings to Lead Federal Appeals Court". Great Falls Tribune. Associated Press. November 23, 2014. <a href="https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/11/23/judge-billings-lead-federal-appeals-court/19461447/" target="_blank">https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/11/23/judge-billings-lead-federal-appeals-court/19461447/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Rodriguez, Katherine (March 29, 2022). "Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Emeritus Sidney R. Thomas to Take Senior Status" (PDF) (Press release). San Francisco: Office of the Circuit Executive, United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit. <a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/ce9/2022/Thomas_Sidney_SeniorStatus.pdf" target="_blank">https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/ce9/2022/Thomas_Sidney_SeniorStatus.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Thomas, Sidney Runyan". fjc.gov. Washington, DC: Federal Judicial Center. <a href="https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/thomas-sidney-runyan" target="_blank">https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/thomas-sidney-runyan</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Levine, Dan (May 5, 2010). "Potential High Court Nominee Thomas Would Fit Obama Narrative". The Recorder. San Francisco: ALM. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Reprinted at Law.com. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101206010247/http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202457682267" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20101206010247/http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202457682267</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"Source: Judge Sidney Thomas on Supreme Court list". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Associated Press. April 14, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2025. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2010/04/14/source-judge-sidney-thomas-on-supreme-court-list/" target="_blank">https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2010/04/14/source-judge-sidney-thomas-on-supreme-court-list/</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Feller, Ben (April 30, 2010). "Obama, Biden interview Montana's Judge Sidney Thomas for Supreme Court". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Associated Press. Retrieved February 10, 2025. <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/nation/2010/04/obama_biden_interview_montanas.html" target="_blank">https://www.cleveland.com/nation/2010/04/obama_biden_interview_montanas.html</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Nadarajah v. Gonzales, 443 F.3d 1069 (9th Cir. 2006). <a href="/w/index.php?title=Nadarajah_v._Gonzales&action=edit&redlink=1" target="_blank">/w/index.php?title=Nadarajah_v._Gonzales&action=edit&redlink=1</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Kopel, David. "Ninth Circuit strikes California's restrictive rule against licensed carry of handguns". Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-02-13. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/02/13/ninth-circuit-strikes-californias-restrictive-rule-against-licensed-carry-of-handguns/" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/02/13/ninth-circuit-strikes-californias-restrictive-rule-against-licensed-carry-of-handguns/</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Mento, Tarryn (13 February 2014). "Court Tosses California's Concealed Weapons Rules". KBPS Midday Edition. KPBS Public Media. Associated Press. Retrieved 2014-02-13. <a href="http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/feb/13/court-tosses-californias-concealed-weapons-rules/" target="_blank">http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/feb/13/court-tosses-californias-concealed-weapons-rules/</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Sierra Club v. Trump, 963 F.3d 874 (9th Cir. June 26, 2020). <a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/06/26/19-16102.pdf" target="_blank">https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/06/26/19-16102.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Trump v. Sierra Club (U.S. July 31, 2020), Text. Breyer, J., dissenting. Docket 19A60. <a href="/wiki/Trump_v._Sierra_Club" target="_blank">/wiki/Trump_v._Sierra_Club</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Onssef Cheneau v. Merrick B. Garland, 997 F.3d 916 (9th Cir. May 13, 2021). Docket number 15-70636. Also available from vLex <a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2021/05/13/15-70636.pdf" target="_blank">https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2021/05/13/15-70636.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Johnson, Clair (December 3, 2012). "Obama to appoint 2 federal judges in Montana in 2013". Billings Gazette. Lee Enterprises. ISSN 2372-868X. Retrieved February 10, 2025. <a href="https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/obama-to-appoint-federal-judges-in-montana-in/article_dbe5f936-3bcb-11e2-8ebf-001a4bcf887a.html" target="_blank">https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/obama-to-appoint-federal-judges-in-montana-in/article_dbe5f936-3bcb-11e2-8ebf-001a4bcf887a.html</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>