Robert Holmes Bell

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.

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 byRichard Alan Enslen
Succeeded byPaul Lewis Maloney
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
In office
July 2, 1987 – January 31, 2017
Appointed byRonald Reagan
Preceded byWendell Alverson Miles
Succeeded byHala Y. Jarbou
Personal details
Born(1944-04-19)April 19, 1944
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
DiedJune 8, 2023(2023-06-08) (aged 79)
East Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Education

Education and career

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]

Federal judicial service

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 senior status on January 31, 2017.[1]

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][3][4]

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.[5] Gabrion remains on death row as of 2023.[5]

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.[6]

Personal life

Born in Lansing, Michigan, on April 19, 1944, to Preston and Eileen (née Holmes), Bell was raised in nearby Williamston and graduated from Okemos High School in 1962.[7] His father died of war-related illness, lymphoma, when he was eight years old.[7][2]

Bell met his wife, Helen, while both were students at Wheaton. They had three children. Their son, Rob Bell, is the founding pastor of the Mars Hill Bible Church megachurch.[2] Bell taught at a Sunday school in upper Michigan.[8]

Bell died in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 8, 2023, at age 79.[8][9]

Notes
  1. Robert Holmes Bell at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. Agar, John (February 13, 2011). "Profile: U.S. District Court Judge Robert Holmes Bell". MLive.
  3. Associated Press, West Michigan federal judge knocks mandatory minimum sentences (September 21, 2013).
  4. Ellison, Garret (September 22, 2013). "Mandatory minimum sentences waste money, have 'unjust results,' says Grand Rapids federal judge". MLive.
  5. "Former federal judge Robert Holmes Bell dies at 79". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  6. Agar, John (November 20, 2016). "Retiring federal judge reflects on death penalty, Latin Kings, place in history". mlive. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  7. Chardavoyne, David G.; Brenneman, Hugh W., Jr (October 6, 2020). A Lincoln Legacy: The History of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-4805-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "Obituaries in Lansing, MI — Robert Holmes Bell, Sr". Lansing State Journal. June 9, 2023.
  9. White, Ed (June 9, 2023). "Federal judge who presided over rare Michigan death penalty trial dies at 79". AP NEWS. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
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