James Donald Peterson
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 and confirmed by the Senate 70–24, James Donald Peterson is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. He earned a law degree from University of Wisconsin Law School in 1998. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1957 · age 69
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2014
- Confirmed
- 70–24
- Education
- University of Wisconsin 1979 · University of Wisconsin Law School 1998
- Succeeded
- John C. Shabaz
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Western District of Wisconsin succeeded John C. Shabaz | Obama (D) | 70–24 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 70–24 on May 8, 2014 · 113th Congress, Roll Call 138. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 70
49 D, 19 R, 2 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Joe Donnelly(D-IN)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Jeff Flake(R-AZ)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Heidi Heitkamp(D-ND)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Bernie Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
- John Walsh(D-MT)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 24
24 R
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Timothy Scott(R-SC)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
Did not vote · 6
4 D, 2 R
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
Education
| University of Wisconsin | B.S. | 1979 |
| University of Wisconsin | M.A. | 1984 |
| University of Wisconsin | Ph.D. | 1986 |
| University of Wisconsin Law School | J.D. | 1998 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Peterson was assigned 3,762 district-court cases (1998–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 216 days across 2,896 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 262 of Peterson’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 203 were affirmed, 37 reversed or vacated, and 22 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed James Donald Peterson?
- President Barack Obama appointed James Donald Peterson to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin in 2014.
- Was James Donald Peterson appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- James Donald Peterson was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was James Donald Peterson's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed James Donald Peterson 70–24 on May 8, 2014.
- Which court is James Donald Peterson on?
- James Donald Peterson is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2014)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
12 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).