[4] Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1929,[5] Gordon received a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in 1951, and an LL.B.
As Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, Gordon presided over the impeachment trial of then-Governor Evan Mecham in 1988.
In 1990, Gordon received an American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award for his efforts on behalf of the poor through his stewardship of the Volunteer Lawyers Program of Phoenix.
[7] Following Gordon's retirement from the court in 1992, United States District Judge Paul Gerhardt Rosenblatt appointed Gordon to mediate a dispute between various Native American tribes and the government of Arizona.
[8] In February 1993, Gordon ruled in favor of a proposal put forth by the tribes to allow them to operate slot machine casinos in their territories.