James Aloysius Coolahan
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and confirmed by voice vote, James Aloysius Coolahan was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He earned a law degree from New Jersey Law School (now Rutgers School of Law -- Newark) in 1925. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1903–1986
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1962
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- New Jersey Law School (now Rutgers Law -- Newark) 1925
- Succeeded
- Mendon Morrill
- Succeeded by
- John Francis Gerry
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | District of New Jersey succeeded Mendon Morrill | Kennedy (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
Judicial Record
In our data, Coolahan authored 57 published opinions for the court (1962–1980). Most cited: Japan Gas Lighter Association v. Ronson Corp. (96 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Japan Gas Lighter Association v. Ronson Corp. | 257 F. Supp. 219 | 96 |
| 1975 | Tormo v. Yormark | 398 F. Supp. 1159 | 47 |
| 1967 | State of New Jersey v. Moriarity | 268 F. Supp. 546 | 44 |
| 1976 | Menacho v. Adamson United Co. | 420 F. Supp. 128 | 41 |
| 1967 | S. J. Groves & Sons Co. v. New Jersey Turnpike Authority | 268 F. Supp. 568 | 41 |
| 1972 | Krzewinski v. Kugler | 338 F. Supp. 492 | 37 |
| 1977 | Morse Electro Products Corp. v. S. S. Great Peace | 437 F. Supp. 474 | 32 |
| 1967 | Levin v. Great Western Sugar Company | 274 F. Supp. 974 | 31 |
| 1967 | Schenley Industries, Inc. v. N. J. Wine & Spirit Wholesalers Ass'n | 272 F. Supp. 872 | 30 |
| 1980 | United States v. Giresi | 488 F. Supp. 445 | 25 |
| 1978 | McKenna v. Fargo | 451 F. Supp. 1355 | 22 |
| 1974 | Reilly v. Phil Tolkan Pontiac, Inc. | 372 F. Supp. 1205 | 21 |
| 1973 | Yannicelli v. Nash | 354 F. Supp. 143 | 21 |
| 1968 | United States Ex Rel. Stuart v. Yeager | 293 F. Supp. 1079 | 18 |
| 1968 | Horak v. Color Metal of Zurich, Switzerland | 285 F. Supp. 603 | 18 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 57 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 Aloysius Coolahan?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed James Aloysius Coolahan to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in 1962.
- Was James Aloysius Coolahan appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- James Aloysius Coolahan was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was James Aloysius Coolahan's confirmation vote?
- James Aloysius Coolahan was confirmed by voice vote on April 2, 1962. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was James Aloysius Coolahan on?
- James Aloysius Coolahan was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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24 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).