Elmer Gordon West
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and confirmed by voice vote, Elmer Gordon West was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. He earned a law degree from Louisiana State University Law School (now Paul M. Hebert Law Center) in 1942. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1914–1992
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1961
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Louisiana State 1941 · Louisiana State Law School (now Paul M. Hebert Law Center) 1942
- Succeeded by
- Frank Joseph Polozola
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Eastern District of Louisiana | Kennedy (D) | Voice vote |
| 1972 | Middle District of Louisiana | Reassigned | – |
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
| Louisiana State University | B.S. | 1941 |
| Louisiana State University Law School (now Paul M. Hebert Law Center) | LL.B. | 1942 |
Judicial Record
In our data, West authored 123 published opinions for the court (1961–1983). Most cited: Wells v. Edwards (62 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Wells v. Edwards | 347 F. Supp. 453 | 62 |
| 1968 | Dennis v. Dees | 278 F. Supp. 354 | 26 |
| 1969 | Bazzell v. Gibbens | 306 F. Supp. 1057 | 25 |
| 1979 | Poplar Grove Planting & Refining Co. v. Bache Halsey Stuart Inc. | 465 F. Supp. 585 | 24 |
| 1970 | United States v. Partin | 312 F. Supp. 1355 | 23 |
| 1963 | Ward v. Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission | 224 F. Supp. 252 | 23 |
| 1973 | Schwegmann Bros. Giant Super Markets v. Louisiana Milk Commission | 365 F. Supp. 1144 | 22 |
| 1973 | In Re Imperial Sheet Metal, Inc. | 352 F. Supp. 1149 | 18 |
| 1969 | United States v. Faser | 303 F. Supp. 380 | 18 |
| 1977 | Bullock v. Pizza Hut, Inc. | 429 F. Supp. 424 | 15 |
| 1965 | Southland Financial Corp. v. Oil Screw Mary Evelyn | 248 F. Supp. 520 | 15 |
| 1962 | Creppel v. J. W. Banta Towing, Inc. | 202 F. Supp. 508 | 14 |
| 1974 | Columbia Heights Nursing Home & Hospital, Inc. v. Weinberger | 380 F. Supp. 1066 | 13 |
| 1973 | Smith v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company | 366 F. Supp. 1283 | 13 |
| 1966 | Derby Company v. AL Mechling Barge Lines, Inc. | 258 F. Supp. 206 | 13 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 123 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 Elmer Gordon West?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed Elmer Gordon West to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1961.
- Was Elmer Gordon West appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Elmer Gordon West was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Elmer Gordon West's confirmation vote?
- Elmer Gordon West was confirmed by voice vote on September 14, 1961. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Elmer Gordon West on?
- Elmer Gordon West was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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20 years on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).