Seventh Circuit / Appointed 1937 / Served to 1972
James Earl Major
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 and confirmed by voice vote, James Earl Major was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He previously served on the Southern District of Illinois.Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, March 17, 1937
- Appointed by
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Succeeded
- Louis FitzHenry
- Succeeded by
- John Simpson Hastings
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Southern District of Illinois · succeeded Louis FitzHenry | Roosevelt (D) | voice |
| 1937 | Seventh Circuit · succeeded Louis FitzHenry | Roosevelt (D) | voice |
A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.
Education
| Illinois College of Law (now DePaul University College of Law) | ||
| Read law | 1910 |
Sources
34 years on the Seventh Circuit. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).