Robert Cleve Bonner (January 29, 1942) is an American lawyer and arbitration neutral, a former prosecutor, former United States District Judge, former Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and former Commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology, a retired partner at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and former Chair of the California Commission on Judicial Performance.

Education and early career

Bonner was born in Wichita, Kansas. He grew up in Wichita where his father practiced law and his mother was a school teacher. He credits his mother for infusing him with a strong commitment to public service. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1963. and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1966.

He was a law clerk for Albert Lee Stephens Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California from 1966 to 1967. He was on in the United States Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps from 1967 to 1971, rising to the rank of Lieutenant, USNR. During that time, he served for nearly two years on an aircraft carrier, the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42). He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 1971 to 1975, and then went into private practice in Los Angeles for nine years. Afterwards he became the United States Attorney for the same district in 1984.

Federal judicial service

On February 28, 1989, Bonner was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, to a seat vacated by Judge Pamela Ann Rymer. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 18, 1989, and received commission on May 24, 1989. Bonner resigned on August 12, 1990, to become the Administrator of the DEA. As DEA Administrator, Bonner is credited with implementing the Kingpin Strategy, which allows law enforcement to target and attack key vulnerabilities of major transnational drug trafficking organizations. He oversaw DEA's efforts with the Colombian government to destroy the Medellin Cartel, the final blow of which was the killing of Pablo Escobar by the Colombian National Police in late 1993. While at DEA, he also established the first Division of Intelligence within DEA and pioneered the use of highly effective intelligence gathering and analytical tools.

In 1992, Administrator Bonner issued a ruling that incorporated the FDA's "safe and effective" standard to evaluate marijuana. After reviewing the record, he found that there were no valid scientific studies that indicated that smoking marijuana was safe and effective for any medical purpose. On that basis, he denied an application for the removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, stating that, "Those who insist that marijuana has medical uses would serve society better by promoting or sponsoring more legitimate scientific research, rather than throwing their time, money and rhetoric into lobbying, public relations campaigns and perennial litigation.

Private practice

In November 1993, just after leaving his post as head of the DEA, Bonner appeared on 60 Minutes and criticized the CIA for permitting a drug shipment of one ton of pure cocaine to be smuggled into the U.S. without first notifying and securing the approval of the DEA. From 1993 to 2001, Judge Bonner was a partner in the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, an international law firm. His practice focused on business and white-collar crime matters, complex civil cases, internal corporate investigations, and corporate compliance programs. and also heads Bonner Arbitration Disputes and Settlement Services and serves as an American Arbitration Association neutral arbitrator for high stakes disputes.

Other interests

Bonner is married to Kimiko Tanaka Bonner, and they have a daughter, Justine. He runs three miles a day, and enjoys playing tennis and chess, a game he mastered while serving in the United States Navy on board an aircraft carrier.

References

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  • Customs Chief to Resign; Oversaw Shift After 9/11, Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2005
  • Customs Chief Survives Difficult Start, Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2002
  • DEA Director Vows to Keep Investigating in Camarena Case, Los Angeles Times, August 29, 1990
  • The New Cocaine Cowboys, "Foreign Affairs", July 1, 2010
  • Get Shorty, "Foreign Affairs", July 22, 2015
  • Got Shorty, "Foreign Affairs", January 27, 2018