John J. Gibbons Dies at 94 | Newsroom | Gibbons P.C.

A true role model.  A great man, a great lawyer, a great judge, a great teacher.
John J. Gibbons Dies at 94 | Newsroom | Gibbons P.C.

Mr. Gibbons committed his 65-year career to protecting the rule of law in this country, a commitment that took root in the 1960s – when, as President of the New Jersey State Bar Association, he enlisted attorneys during the Newark Riots to help those unable to afford legal representation – and blossomed in the new century, with the historic Supreme Court of the United States decision in Rasul v. Bush among his most famous and impactful achievements. In 2004, Mr. Gibbons joined with two other former federal judges from New Jersey to file United States Supreme Court briefs opposing the detention, without judicial review, of the 660 men incarcerated at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base. Mr. Gibbons argued the case, and, in a historic decision, the Court decided in favor of the Guantánamo Bay detainees, demonstrating clear support for civil liberties and government transparency in the war on terrorism.

“The Judge played a lot of roles here at the firm that bears his name: role model, teacher, mentor, friend, and hero,” said Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons P.C. “He was a quiet, soft-spoken legal rock star who walked among the giants in our profession and, in the process, became one of the biggest.”