District of South Dakota / Appointed 1981 / Served to 2023

John Bailey Jones

Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota

Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and confirmed by voice vote, John Bailey Jones was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. He earned a law degree from University of South Dakota School of Law (now Knudson School of Law) in 1953. Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, November 18, 1981

Appointed by
Ronald Reagan, 1981
Confirmed
by voice vote
Education
University of South Dakota 1951 · University of South Dakota Law (now Knudson School of Law) 1953
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1981District of South Dakota · succeeded Fred Joseph NicholReagan (R)voice

A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Education
Sources

41 years on the District of South Dakota. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).