James Waldo Ackerman
Appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1976 and confirmed by voice vote, James Waldo Ackerman was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. He earned a law degree from Marquette University Law School in 1949. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1926–1984
- Appointed by
- Gerald Ford, 1976
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Chief judge
- Central District of Illinois, 1982 to 1984
- Education
- Marquette 1947 · Marquette Law School 1949
- Succeeded by
- Richard Henry Mills
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Southern District of Illinois succeeded Harlington Wood Jr. | Ford (R) | Voice vote |
| 1979 | Central District of Illinois chief judge 1982 to 1984 | 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
| Marquette University | B.S. | 1947 |
| Marquette University Law School | J.D. | 1949 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Private practice, Sangamon County, Illinois | 1949-1952 |
| U.S. Navy | 1944-1946, 1952-1954 |
| Assistant state's attorney, Sangamon County, Illinois | 1954-1956 |
| State's attorney, Sangamon County, Illinois | 1956-1960 |
| Private practice, Sangamon County, Illinois | 1960-1971 |
| Corporation counsel, Springfield, Illinois | 1961-1962 |
| Assistant treasurer, State of Illinois | 1963-1964 |
| Deputy attorney general, State of Illinois | 1968-1971 |
| Judge, Illinois Circuit Court, Seventh Judicial Circuit | 1971-1976 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Ackerman authored 44 published opinions for the court (1976–1984). Most cited: McPherson v. School District 186 (36 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | McPherson v. School District 186 | 465 F. Supp. 749 | 36 |
| 1982 | Chappell v. SCA Services, Inc. | 540 F. Supp. 1087 | 30 |
| 1982 | General Telephone Co. of Illinois v. Robinson | 545 F. Supp. 788 | 27 |
| 1977 | M. Ex Rel. R. v. Board of Education Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District No. 5 | 429 F. Supp. 288 | 27 |
| 1979 | Stephens v. United States | 472 F. Supp. 998 | 25 |
| 1979 | Hoes of America, Inc. v. Hoes | 493 F. Supp. 1205 | 20 |
| 1978 | Franklin Life Insurance v. Commonwealth Edison Co. | 451 F. Supp. 602 | 19 |
| 1980 | Stewart v. United States | 486 F. Supp. 178 | 16 |
| 1977 | In Re Taylorville Eisner Agency, Inc. | 445 F. Supp. 665 | 15 |
| 1984 | Humana of Illinois, Inc. v. Heckler | 584 F. Supp. 618 | 13 |
| 1977 | Morris v. United States Department of Labor | 439 F. Supp. 1014 | 12 |
| 1977 | Newborn v. Morrison | 440 F. Supp. 623 | 11 |
| 1979 | Genusa v. City of Peoria | 475 F. Supp. 1199 | 10 |
| 1977 | Huber Pontiac, Inc. v. Allphin | 431 F. Supp. 1168 | 8 |
| 1983 | Stewart v. EGNEP (Pty) Ltd. | 581 F. Supp. 788 | 7 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 44 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 James Waldo Ackerman?
- President Gerald Ford appointed James Waldo Ackerman to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in 1976.
- Was James Waldo Ackerman appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- James Waldo Ackerman was appointed by President Gerald Ford, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was James Waldo Ackerman's confirmation vote?
- James Waldo Ackerman was confirmed by voice vote on July 2, 1976. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was James Waldo Ackerman on?
- James Waldo Ackerman was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Administrative Office of the United States Courts (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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5 years on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).