John Joseph Gibbons

John Joseph Gibbons (December 8, 1924 – December 9, 2018) was an American jurist who served as an appellate judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1969 to 1990. Gibbons served as chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1987 to 1990.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Gibbons began his legal career at Crummy & Consodine. He later became a partner of the firm, which incorporated his name into its title. Gibbons was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by President Richard Nixon in December 1969 and served on that court until his retirement in 1990. During his judicial tenure, Gibbons wrote more than 800 legal opinions. From 1987 to 1990, he served as chief judge. After retiring from the bench, Gibbons returned to the private practice of law and worked on human rights cases, commercial arbitration, and intellectual property disputes. He received a lifetime achievement award from The American Lawyer in 2005 and was named as one of the National Law Journal's "100 most influential lawyers" in 2006.