List of federal judges appointed by James K. Polk
Following is a list of all United States federal judges appointed by President James K. Polk during his presidency.[1] In total Polk appointed ten federal judges, including two Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States, one judge to the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, and seven judges to the United States district courts.
Polk faced some obstacles in seating Justices on the Supreme Court. After Henry Baldwin's death in April 1844, Polk nominated James Buchanan for the seat, but Buchanan declined the nomination. Polk then nominated George Washington Woodward of Pennsylvania to Baldwin's seat, but the nomination was rejected by the United States Senate by a vote of 20-29. Polk finally succeeded with the nomination of Robert Cooper Grier, filling the vacancy after two years.
Contents
United States Supreme Court Justices
| Justice | Seat | State | Began active service |
Ended active service |
| Robert Cooper Grier | Seat 1 | Pennsylvania | August 4, 1846 | January 31, 1870 |
| Levi Woodbury | Seat 2 | New Hampshire | September 20, 1845[2] | September 4, 1851 |
Circuit courts
| Judge | Circuit | Began active service |
Ended active service |
| James Dunlop | D.C. | October 3, 1845[3] | November 27, 1855[4] |
District courts
| Judge | Court [Note 1] |
Began active service |
Ended active service |
| John White Brockenbrough | W.D. Va. | January 14, 1846 | May 4, 1861 |
| Isaac H. Bronson | D. Fla. | August 8, 1846 | August 13, 1855[5] |
| John James Dyer | D. Iowa. | March 3, 1847 | September 14, 1855 |
| John K. Kane | E.D. Pa. | June 17, 1846 | February 21, 1858 |
| William Marvin | S.D. Fla. | March 3, 1847 | July 1, 1863 |
| Andrew G. Miller | D. Wis. | June 12, 1848 | January 1, 1873[6] |
| John Charles Watrous | D. Tex. | May 29, 1846 | April 19, 1870[7] |
Notes
References
- General
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- Specific
- ↑ All information on the names, terms of service, and details of appointment of federal judges is derived from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public-domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 23, 1845, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 3, 1846, and received commission on January 3, 1846.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 23, 1845, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 3, 1846, and received commission on February 3, 1846.
- ↑ Because of the unique structure of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, Franklin Pierce's elevation of James Dunlop to chief judge of the Court is considered a separate appointment.
- ↑ On February 23, 1847, the District of Florida was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida; Bronson was reassigned by operation of law to the Northern District.
- ↑ On June 30, 1870, the District of Wisconsin was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin; Miller was reassigned by operation of law to the Eastern Dostrict.
- ↑ On February 21, 1857, the District of Texas was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas; Watrous was reassigned by operation of law to the Eastern District.
