James Latane Noel Jr.
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and confirmed by voice vote, James Latane Noel Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) in 1937. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1909–1997
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1962
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Southern Methodist 1931 · Southern Methodist Law (now Dedman School of Law) 1937
- Succeeded by
- Finis E. Cowan
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Southern District of Texas | 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
| Southern Methodist University | B.S., civil engineering | 1931 |
| Southern Methodist University | B.S., commerce | 1932 |
| Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law) | LL.B. | 1937 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Noel authored 93 published opinions for the court (1962–1978). Most cited: EF Hutton & Company v. Brown (140 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | EF Hutton & Company v. Brown | 305 F. Supp. 371 | 140 |
| 1963 | Hearne v. Dow-Badische Chemical Company | 224 F. Supp. 90 | 42 |
| 1969 | Bonner v. Texas City Independent School Dist. of Texas | 305 F. Supp. 600 | 31 |
| 1971 | MOBIL OIL CORPORATION. v. WR Grace & Company | 334 F. Supp. 117 | 30 |
| 1975 | United States v. Gaf Corporation | 389 F. Supp. 1379 | 26 |
| 1970 | Schwartz v. Galveston Independent School District | 309 F. Supp. 1034 | 25 |
| 1970 | Southern Nat. Bank of Houston, Tex. v. Tri Financial Corp. | 317 F. Supp. 1173 | 23 |
| 1969 | Harkless v. Sweeny Independent Sch. Dist. of Sweeny, Tex. | 300 F. Supp. 794 | 23 |
| 1973 | Keys v. Sawyer | 353 F. Supp. 936 | 22 |
| 1968 | Traveler's Insurance Company v. United States | 283 F. Supp. 14 | 21 |
| 1970 | Kurio v. United States | 429 F. Supp. 42 | 20 |
| 1970 | Xanthull v. Beto | 307 F. Supp. 903 | 20 |
| 1972 | International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No. 450 v. Mid-Valley, Inc. | 347 F. Supp. 1104 | 19 |
| 1970 | Carroll v. United States | 320 F. Supp. 581 | 18 |
| 1968 | Sammons v. United States | 285 F. Supp. 100 | 18 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 93 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 Latane Noel Jr.?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed James Latane Noel Jr. to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in 1962.
- Was James Latane Noel Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- James Latane Noel Jr. 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 Latane Noel Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- James Latane Noel Jr. was confirmed by voice vote on March 16, 1962. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was James Latane Noel Jr. on?
- James Latane Noel Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
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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35 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).