Burnita Shelton Matthews
Appointed by President Harry S Truman in 1950 and confirmed by voice vote, Burnita Shelton Matthews was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She earned a law degree from National University School of Law (now George Washington University Law School) in 1919. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1894–1988
- Appointed by
- Harry S Truman, 1950
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- National Law (now George Washington University Law School) 1919
- Succeeded by
- June Lazenby Green
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | District of Columbia | Truman (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| National University School of Law (now George Washington University Law School) | LL.B. | 1919 |
| National University School of Law (now George Washington University Law School) | LL.M. | 1920 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Matthews authored 16 published opinions for the court (1950–1969). Most cited: Fulwood v. Clemmer (54 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Fulwood v. Clemmer | 206 F. Supp. 370 | 54 |
| 1961 | United States Ex Rel. Bailey-Lewis-Williams of Florida, Inc. v. Peter Kiewit Sons Co. of Canada Ltd. | 195 F. Supp. 752 | 17 |
| 1960 | Archbold v. McLaughlin | 181 F. Supp. 175 | 9 |
| 1957 | Mitchell v. Boys Club of Metropolitan Police, DC | 157 F. Supp. 101 | 9 |
| 1965 | Clark v. Pearson | 238 F. Supp. 495 | 8 |
| 1962 | United States v. North American Van Lines, Inc. | 202 F. Supp. 639 | 6 |
| 1950 | Durkin v. Murray | 90 F. Supp. 367 | 6 |
| 1969 | American Brands, Inc. v. National Ass'n of Broadcasters | 308 F. Supp. 1166 | 4 |
| 1954 | United States v. MOUNT VERNON MORTGAGE CORPORATION | 128 F. Supp. 629 | 4 |
| 1963 | Herson v. Mills | 221 F. Supp. 714 | 3 |
| 1955 | Simmons v. First Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n | 132 F. Supp. 370 | 3 |
| 1960 | Hill v. Bellevue Gardens, Inc. | 190 F. Supp. 760 | 2 |
| 1950 | Kazdy-Reich v. Marshall | 88 F. Supp. 787 | 2 |
| 1966 | Heimbuch v. President & Directors of Georgetown College | 251 F. Supp. 614 | 1 |
| 1956 | Kyne v. Leedom | 148 F. Supp. 597 | 1 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 16 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Burnita Shelton Matthews?
- President Harry S Truman appointed Burnita Shelton Matthews to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 1950.
- Was Burnita Shelton Matthews appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Burnita Shelton Matthews was appointed by President Harry S Truman, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Burnita Shelton Matthews's confirmation vote?
- Burnita Shelton Matthews was confirmed by voice vote on April 4, 1950. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Burnita Shelton Matthews on?
- Burnita Shelton Matthews was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Underwood & Underwood (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
38 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).