Jackson spent 26 years with the law firm Holland & Hart, including as an associate from 1972 until 1978, and as a partner from 1978 until 1998.[2] Jackson was appointed to the state bench in 1998, and in 2003 was named Chief Judge for Colorado's First Judicial District, which covers Jefferson County, Colorado and Gilpin County, Colorado.[2][1]
Federal judicial service
On September 29, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Jackson to a judicial seat on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Judge Phillip S. Figa.[3] Jackson's nomination lapsed at the end of 2010. President Obama renominated him on January 5, 2011. The United States Senate confirmed him by unanimous consent on August 2, 2011.[4] He received his judicial commission on September 1, 2011.[1] He assumed senior status on September 30, 2021.[1]
Notable rulings
On June 5, 2020, Jackson issued a temporary restraining order against the City and County of Denver, Colorado, and the Denver Police Department in particular, forbidding assaults against peaceful protesters who participate in demonstrations against George Floyd's murder by the Minneapolis Police Department. The order included other police officers working with the City and County of Denver. Specifically, the order forbid using tear gas, pepper spray, pepper balls and rubber bullets against protesters unless a Captain is on scene, witnesses an act of violence, and gives an order to use them; and forbids the use of projectiles shot at protestors aimed at the head, back or pelvis. The rioters suffered injures such as broken bones (including facial bones), ruptured scrotums (due to aiming at the groin), and included attacks on "medics" trying to render aid to injured rioters.[5][6][7]
On November 22, 2016, Jackson ruled in favor of Dana Zzyym, a Navy veteran who was born intersex and uses they/them pronouns, after Zzyym sued the U.S. State Department for a passport that would reflect a gender other than “male” or “female.”[8] Zzyym had applied for a U.S. passport to attend the International Intersex Forum in Mexico City but was denied because they did not select “male” or “female” on their application. Jackson ruled that the State Department cannot deny a passport to a person who declines to select either “male” or “female” as their gender in their passport application.[9]
