Jack L. Rives
Encyclopedia
Jack L. Rives is the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the American Bar Association
, and a former TJAG ("The Judge Advocate General") of the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps
. In 2008, he became the first Judge Advocate General in any service to hold the rank of Lieutenant general
. He served the United States Air Force from
1977 until 2010.
, where his family were the only Jews
in a town of 4,000. "We would go to [synagogue for] the High Holy Days
... and there was curiosity among my classmates, curiosity about why I was getting out of school to go to Yom Kippur
services or Rosh Hashanah
." He either attended or taught Sunday school every week from the time he was 5 years old until high school.
He notes that his father was in the National Guard for a short time, but otherwise his family had no formal military "heritage."
Rives received an A.B.
degree in political science from the University of Georgia
in 1974 and a J.D.
from the University of Georgia School of Law
in 1976. He has also been educated at the Air Command and Staff College
(1983), Air War College
(1990), and National War College
(1993).
program in 1974 and entered active duty in 1977 after receiving his law degree as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at Griffiss Air Force Base
in Rome, New York
. Between 1978 and 1983, he was stationed at Kunsan Air Base
, Hellenikon Air Base
, and Clark Air Base
as a judge advocate and defense counsel. It was during his assignment at Hellenikon that he met Marie, the woman who would become his wife.
Rives worked in the Office of the Judge Advocate Generate between 1986 and 1990, was an appellate judge at the U.S. Air Force Court of Military Review between 1990 and 1992, and was the Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
between 1993 and 1995. While in his assignment at JCS, he worked for Colin Powell
and John Shalikashvili.
Rives was Commandant of the Air Force Judge Advocate General School between 1995 and 1998 before returning to Washington to serve as the Chief of the Air Force Executive Issues Team and Staff Judge Advocate from 1998 to 2002.
Rives became Deputy Judge Advocate General (DJAG) and was promoted to Major General
in 2002. In September 2004, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Fiscus
was relieved of his duties as The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) in response to an investigation into his relationships with female subordinates and Rives was named acting TJAG.
There was a period of over a year when the Air Force operated without an official TJAG, during which Rives continued to sign his name as DJAG, adding when necessary, "PDOT": "Performing the duties of TJAG."
In 2006, he was named TJAG of the Air Force. In that position, he served as the legal adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, directed 2,200 judge advocates, 350 attorneys, 1,400 enlisted paralegals, and 500 civilians. The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act requires that The Judge Advocate General and Surgeon General of the Air Force and Army must each hold the rank of Lieutenant general
. As a result, Rives became the first Judge Advocate General in any service to serve in the grade of Lieutenant general.
As deputy judge advocate general, Rives criticized Justice Department memos that authorized the President to conduct enhanced interrogation techniques
as "violations of domestic criminal law" and could potentially place interrogators and the military chain of command at risk of international criminal accusations. In 2006 during a hearing on the Military Commissions Act
, Rives and other senior military lawyers advised Congress to grant detainees broader legal protections, such as granting defendants access to classified evidence, than the rules proposed by the Bush administration.
placed on the JAG Corps, Rives was given the chance to restructure and revision the corps. His work, which included the convening of a "Keystone Leadership Summit" in 2005, and "Horizons sessions" to assess progress and course-correct as necessary, led to "JAG 21," the new vision for the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the twenty-first century.
As part of the new vision for the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, Rives was instrumental in the development of three guiding principles for the corps: Wisdom, Valor, and Justice.
. He officially began to work in his new position on May 1, the day recognized as "Law Day" by the ABA and many other legal organizations.
He replaced Henry White Jr. who resigned in 2009 with other senior staff members following a reorganization set in motion by ABA president Carolyn Lamm.
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, and a former TJAG ("The Judge Advocate General") of the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Air Force
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Air Force.- History :The United States Air Force became a separate military service in September 1947. On 25 June 1948, the Congress established an office of The Judge Advocate General ...
. In 2008, he became the first Judge Advocate General in any service to hold the rank of Lieutenant general
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
. He served the United States Air Force from
1977 until 2010.
Background
Rives grew up in Rockmart, GeorgiaRockmart, Georgia
Rockmart is a city in Polk County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,870 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rockmart is located at ....
, where his family were the only Jews
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
in a town of 4,000. "We would go to [synagogue for] the High Holy Days
High Holy Days
The High Holidays or High Holy Days, in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim , may mean:#strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ;...
... and there was curiosity among my classmates, curiosity about why I was getting out of school to go to Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
services or Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
." He either attended or taught Sunday school every week from the time he was 5 years old until high school.
He notes that his father was in the National Guard for a short time, but otherwise his family had no formal military "heritage."
Rives received an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in political science from the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in 1974 and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Georgia School of Law
University of Georgia School of Law
The University of Georgia School of Law is a graduate school of the University of Georgia. Founded in 1859 and located in Athens, Georgia, USA, Georgia Law was formerly known as the Lumpkin School of Law. The Law School is the second oldest of the University's schools and colleges. The University...
in 1976. He has also been educated at the Air Command and Staff College
Air Command and Staff College
The Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
(1983), Air War College
Air War College
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
(1990), and National War College
National War College
The National War College of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. It was officially established on July 1, 1946, as an upgraded replacement for the...
(1993).
Air Force career
Rives received his commission through the Air Force ROTCReserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
program in 1974 and entered active duty in 1977 after receiving his law degree as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base, is a former United States Air Force base, located in Rome, New York, about NW of Utica. Missions at Griffiss AFB included fighter interceptors, electronic research, installation, and support activities, aerial refueling, and bombers...
in Rome, New York
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
. Between 1978 and 1983, he was stationed at Kunsan Air Base
Kunsan Air Base
Kunsan Air Base , is a United States Air Force base located on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is at the town of Gunsan about 150 miles south of Seoul. The town can be romanized as both Gunsan and Kunsan...
, Hellenikon Air Base
Hellenikon Air Base
Hellenikon Air Base was a former United States Air Force base located in Athens, Greece. After its closure, it was redeveloped into Ellinikon International Airport.-History:...
, and Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
as a judge advocate and defense counsel. It was during his assignment at Hellenikon that he met Marie, the woman who would become his wife.
Rives worked in the Office of the Judge Advocate Generate between 1986 and 1990, was an appellate judge at the U.S. Air Force Court of Military Review between 1990 and 1992, and was the Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
between 1993 and 1995. While in his assignment at JCS, he worked for Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
and John Shalikashvili.
Rives was Commandant of the Air Force Judge Advocate General School between 1995 and 1998 before returning to Washington to serve as the Chief of the Air Force Executive Issues Team and Staff Judge Advocate from 1998 to 2002.
Rives became Deputy Judge Advocate General (DJAG) and was promoted to Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
in 2002. In September 2004, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Fiscus
Thomas J. Fiscus
Thomas J. Fiscus was a Major General in the United States Air Force who served as Judge Advocate General of the Air Force, the highest ranking officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps...
was relieved of his duties as The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) in response to an investigation into his relationships with female subordinates and Rives was named acting TJAG.
There was a period of over a year when the Air Force operated without an official TJAG, during which Rives continued to sign his name as DJAG, adding when necessary, "PDOT": "Performing the duties of TJAG."
In 2006, he was named TJAG of the Air Force. In that position, he served as the legal adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, directed 2,200 judge advocates, 350 attorneys, 1,400 enlisted paralegals, and 500 civilians. The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act requires that The Judge Advocate General and Surgeon General of the Air Force and Army must each hold the rank of Lieutenant general
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
. As a result, Rives became the first Judge Advocate General in any service to serve in the grade of Lieutenant general.
As deputy judge advocate general, Rives criticized Justice Department memos that authorized the President to conduct enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques or alternative set of procedures are terms adopted by the George W. Bush administration in the United States to describe certain severe interrogation methods, often described as torture...
as "violations of domestic criminal law" and could potentially place interrogators and the military chain of command at risk of international criminal accusations. In 2006 during a hearing on the Military Commissions Act
Military Commissions Act of 2006
The United States Military Commissions Act of 2006, also known as HR-6166, was an Act of Congress signed by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006. Drafted in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision on Hamdan v...
, Rives and other senior military lawyers advised Congress to grant detainees broader legal protections, such as granting defendants access to classified evidence, than the rules proposed by the Bush administration.
JAG 21
Partly as a result of problems that included the investigation of Rives's predecessor as TJAG, and partly because of the importance then-U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff T. Michael MoseleyT. Michael Moseley
Teed Michael Moseley, , is a retired United States Air Force General who served as the 18th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force...
placed on the JAG Corps, Rives was given the chance to restructure and revision the corps. His work, which included the convening of a "Keystone Leadership Summit" in 2005, and "Horizons sessions" to assess progress and course-correct as necessary, led to "JAG 21," the new vision for the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the twenty-first century.
As part of the new vision for the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, Rives was instrumental in the development of three guiding principles for the corps: Wisdom, Valor, and Justice.
American Bar Association
On April 22, 2010, Rives was named the executive director and chief operating officer of the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
. He officially began to work in his new position on May 1, the day recognized as "Law Day" by the ABA and many other legal organizations.
He replaced Henry White Jr. who resigned in 2009 with other senior staff members following a reorganization set in motion by ABA president Carolyn Lamm.