Robert Holmes Bell
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Robert Holmes Bell | |
|---|---|
 Bell, c. 2006 | |
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan | |
| In office January 31, 2017 – June 8, 2023 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan | |
| In office 2001–2008 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Alan Enslen |
| Succeeded by | Paul Lewis Maloney |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan | |
| In office July 2, 1987 – January 31, 2017 | |
| Appointed by | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Wendell Alverson Miles |
| Succeeded by | Hala Y. Jarbou |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 19, 1944 Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | June 8, 2023 (aged 79) |
| Education | |
Robert Holmes Bell (April 19, 1944 – June 8, 2023) was an American lawyer and United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan from 1987 to 2017. Before assuming the role, he worked as an attorney and judge in Michigan. Bell became a senior judge in 2017, a role which he served until his death in 2023. His son is Rob Bell, the founder of the Mars Hill Bible Church.
Federal judicial service
Bell received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College in 1966.[1] At Wheaton, Bell lettered in track each year.[2] Bell received his Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in 1969.[1] He was an assistant county prosecuting attorney for Ingham County, Michigan from 1969 to 1973 and then became a judge, first on the Ingham District Court in Mason, Michigan from 1973 to 1979, then on the Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing from 1979 to 1987.[1]
On March 11, 1987, Bell was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan vacated by Judge Wendell Alverson Miles.[1] Bell was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 1, 1987 and received his commission the following day.[1] He served as Chief Judge from 2001 to 2008.[1] He assumed inactive senior status on January 31, 2017.[1][3]
Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Bell to serve as chairman of the criminal law committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. In that post, Bell wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2013 opposing mandatory minimum sentences, saying they produce "unjust results" and waste public funds.[2][4][5]
One notable case during Bell's federal judicial service was the 2002 trial of Marvin Gabrion, where Bell ordered a death sentence for Gabrion after the U.S. Justice Department told prosecutors to ask jurors for the death sentence, to which the jurors agreed.[6] Gabrion remains on death row as of 2023.[6]
Bell also took actions on protecting Lake Michigan sand dunes, supervising the cleanup of the Kalamazoo River, and dismantling Holland, Michigan's street gang Latin Kings.[7]
