James Lowell Oakes
Appointed by President Richard M. Nixon in 1971 and confirmed by voice vote, James Lowell Oakes was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1947. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont. Opinions & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1924–2007
- Appointed by
- Richard M. Nixon, 1971
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Chief judge
- Second Circuit, 1989 to 1992
- Education
- Harvard 1945 · Harvard Law School 1947
- Succeeded
- Sterry Robinson Waterman
- Succeeded by
- Fred I. Parker
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | District of Vermont succeeded Ernest William Gibson Jr. | Nixon (R) | Voice vote |
| 1971 | Second Circuit succeeded Sterry Robinson Waterman chief judge 1989 to 1992 | Nixon (R) | 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
| Harvard University | A.B. | 1945 |
| Harvard Law School | LL.B. | 1947 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. Harrie B. Chase, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit | 1947-1948, 1949-1950 |
| Private practice, San Francisco, California | 1948-1949 |
| Private practice, Brattleboro, Vermont | 1950-1966, 1969-1970 |
| State senator, Vermont | 1961-1965 |
| Attorney general, State of Vermont | 1967-1969 |
| Member, Judicial Conference of the United States | 1989-1992 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Oakes authored 14 published opinions for the court (1970–1983). Most cited: Conservation Society of Southern Vermont, Inc. v. Secretary of Transportation (43 citations).
Published, precedential opinions from the CourtListener corpus. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Selected opinions
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Conservation Society of Southern Vermont, Inc. v. Secretary of Transportation | 362 F. Supp. 627 | 43 |
| 1973 | United States v. Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. | 363 F. Supp. 110 | 36 |
| 1972 | Conservation Society of Southern Vermont, Inc. v. Volpe | 343 F. Supp. 761 | 28 |
| 1971 | Century Arms, Inc. v. Kennedy | 323 F. Supp. 1002 | 21 |
| 1972 | United States v. Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc. | 346 F. Supp. 145 | 19 |
| 1970 | Ricker v. Lajoie | 314 F. Supp. 401 | 17 |
| 1983 | In Re Soter | 31 B.R. 986 | 11 |
| 1972 | United States Ex Rel. Joy v. Resor | 342 F. Supp. 70 | 11 |
| 1972 | Leopold v. Young | 340 F. Supp. 1014 | 10 |
| 1970 | Mauran v. Mary Fletcher Hospital | 318 F. Supp. 297 | 10 |
| 1974 | Morrisseau v. Mt. Mansfield Television, Inc. | 380 F. Supp. 512 | 6 |
| 1972 | St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County Railroad v. Canadian Pacific Railway Co. | 341 F. Supp. 1368 | 4 |
| 1978 | Conservation Society v. Secretary of Transportation | 443 F. Supp. 1320 | 3 |
| 1975 | NEW ENGLAND T. & T. CO. v. Central Vt. Pub. Serv. Corp. | 391 F. Supp. 420 | 0 |
Showing the 14 most-cited of 14 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 Lowell Oakes?
- President Richard M. Nixon appointed James Lowell Oakes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1971.
- Was James Lowell Oakes appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- James Lowell Oakes was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was James Lowell Oakes's confirmation vote?
- James Lowell Oakes was confirmed by voice vote on May 20, 1971. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was James Lowell Oakes on?
- James Lowell Oakes was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
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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36 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).