PROVO, Utah — On Thursday, April 24, J. Clifford Wallace stood at the lectern in the Marriott Center during Brigham Young University’s annual commencement as university President C. Shane Reese and Justin M. Collings, BYU academic vice president, placed a “BYU Cougar blue” doctor’s hood across his shoulders.
For Wallace’s “outstanding life and contribution to society and to the world” as a federal judge, President Reese bestowed upon him an Honorary Doctorate of Law and Public Service from the university.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency and a longtime friend of Wallace, attended the event and congratulated him on behalf of the First Presidency, including President Russell M. Nelson, “whose recent 100th birthday gives him a unique perspective to view the long-time accomplishments of Judge Wallace,” President Oaks said.
In their praise of Wallace, the First Presidency — who make up the leadership of the BYU Board of Trustees — are not distant observers, President Oaks noted. “In our worldwide responsibilities, we are well-informed observers of J. Clifford Wallace’s powerful performance worldwide.”
A look at his résumé outlines a career that has been both distinguished — and prolonged.
Wallace has served for more than 60 years in the U.S. federal court system, including as chief judge of the Ninth Circuit.
In 1996, Wallace assumed “senior status,” which denotes a semi-retirement for some judges, although Wallace continues to hear appeals and fulfill other court responsibilities.
In a Church News interview in 2017, Wallace, then 88 years old, said he had no plans to retire. “I told my wife at 95 we’d re-evaluate,” he said.
Now 96 years old, Wallace recently told the San Diego Union Tribune he plans to work until he’s 100, if not longer. He is the longest-serving United States federal circuit judge ever and was the first member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve in a U.S. Court of Appeals and then the first to serve as a chief judge.
Besides also handling an active caseload, Wallace continues to travel the world to help developing countries improve the rule of law by developing judicial needs assessments and implementing programs that advance the administration of justice. To date, he has visited more than 70 nations, from Pakistan to Australia and China to Peru.
He also is an originator of the American Inns of Court, an association that provides education and mentorship for lawyers, judges and other legal professionals.
In 2022, when he was honored with the Bolch Prize for the Rule of Law, Wallace attributed his drive to help others to his faith. “I think they’re all my brothers and sisters. I shouldn’t treat them or want them treated any differently than He would,” he said.
That belief has also spurred his work with international judiciaries. “I wanted to protect human rights,” he said. “Courts have to be functional and effective without leading to things being settled in the streets.”
During the commencement ceremony, President Oaks honored Wallace “as a worthy example of [the] rule of law and commend[ed] his example to lawyers, judges and citizens worldwide.”
In addition to highlighting Wallace’s extraordinary career, President Oaks commended Wallace “as a person who has excelled in every important area of his life,” adding, “He is an exemplary patriarch in his family, a renowned teacher in all of his Church assignments and a person unequaled in his commitment to the legal profession and the administration of justice.”
Since joining the Church in high school, Wallace has served in a variety of capacities, including as a bishop, stake president, regional representative, president of the San Diego California Temple and temple sealer.
Widowed twice, Wallace is married to Dixie Jenee Robison Wallace. Together, they have 15 children, 51 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.
In accepting the honorary degree, he attributed any success he’s achieved in life to advice given to him by the late Elder LeGrand Richards, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
As a young trial lawyer trying to establish his practice and with a young family at home, Wallace was called to be a counselor in the new stake presidency.
Elder Richards advised him to first prioritize his family, then his Church service. “And if you have any time left over, you can earn a living,” Elder Richards told Wallace.
“I found that if I carefully and prayerfully made the most important parts of my life consistent with their eternal worth, I accomplished much more of real value in my life’s endeavors,” Wallace said.
He told graduates, “God bless you at the end of your life’s work that you can look back and say, ‘I got it right.’”
