Elwyn Riley Shaw
Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 and confirmed by voice vote, Elwyn Riley Shaw was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He earned a law degree from University of Michigan Law School in 1910. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1888–1950
- Appointed by
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1944
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Michigan Law School 1910
- Succeeded
- Charles Edgar Woodward
- Succeeded by
- Joseph Samuel Perry
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Northern District of Illinois succeeded Charles Edgar Woodward | F.D. Roosevelt (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
| University of Michigan Law School | LL.B. | 1910 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Shaw authored 5 published opinions for the court (1945–1949). Most cited: United States Ex Rel. Howard v. Ragen (33 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | United States Ex Rel. Howard v. Ragen | 59 F. Supp. 374 | 33 |
| 1949 | United States Ex Rel. Roberson v. Keating | 121 F. Supp. 477 | 13 |
| 1945 | United States Ex Rel. Hall v. Ragen | 60 F. Supp. 820 | 12 |
| 1949 | Woods v. Shoreline Cooperative Apartments, Inc. | 84 F. Supp. 660 | 11 |
| 1949 | Life Savers Corporation v. Curtiss Candy Co. | 87 F. Supp. 16 | 4 |
Showing the 5 most-cited of 5 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 Elwyn Riley Shaw?
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Elwyn Riley Shaw to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1944.
- Was Elwyn Riley Shaw appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Elwyn Riley Shaw was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Elwyn Riley Shaw's confirmation vote?
- Elwyn Riley Shaw was confirmed by voice vote on May 3, 1944. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Elwyn Riley Shaw on?
- Elwyn Riley Shaw was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Illinois Secretary of State (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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6 years on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).