Longtime Ninth Circuit Judge John Noonan Jr., whose moral compass earned him admirers from the left and right of the bench—and the fear of attorneys guilty of ethical lapses—died Monday. He was 90.
Noonan was a scholar of law, theology and professional responsibility before being appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. He was often a defender of religious values at the Ninth Circuit, whether resulting in conservative outcomes on issues such as assisted suicide or more liberal results for asylum-seeking immigrants or prisoners challenging the death penalty.
