He was a curriculum developer/instructor, and instructed judges on how to handle capital cases and criminal evidence, at The National Judicial College from 1998 to 2008.
[3][4][5][6] After a number of judges were removed from the First Judicial District, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 1987 for corruption, Governor Robert P. Casey, Sr. nominated replacement judges to Pennsylvania's senate, including Jones.
Jones was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 26, 2008, and received his commission on October 30, 2008.
Distinguished Jurist Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association, given to judges who adhere “to the highest ideals of judicial service” and who have “made a significant, positive impact on the quality or administration of justice in Philadelphia….” In receiving the award, Jones said "the most important decision he ever made was the travel to a New Orleans suburb the week after Hurricane Katrina to help those who had lost their homes and possessions.
In October 2015, Jones presented Rogers State University’s Maurice Meyer Distinguished Endowed Lecture in Claremore, Oklahoma.