Jesse William Curtis Jr.
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and confirmed by voice vote, Jesse William Curtis Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1932. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1905–2008
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1962
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Redlands 1928 · Harvard Law School 1932
- Succeeded by
- Laughlin Edward Waters Sr.
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Southern District of California | Kennedy (D) | Voice vote |
| 1966 | Central District of California | Reassigned | – |
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
| University of Redlands | B.A. | 1928 |
| Harvard Law School | J.D. | 1932 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Curtis authored 27 published opinions for the court (1962–1988). Most cited: United States v. Automobile Manufacturers Ass'n (31 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | United States v. Automobile Manufacturers Ass'n | 307 F. Supp. 617 | 31 |
| 1972 | Baker v. California Land Title Company | 349 F. Supp. 235 | 24 |
| 1988 | Hernandez v. Six Flags Magic Mountain, Inc. | 688 F. Supp. 560 | 19 |
| 1974 | San Francisco Seals, Ltd. v. National Hockey League | 379 F. Supp. 966 | 18 |
| 1976 | Teofilovich v. D'Amico Mediterranean/Pacific Line | 415 F. Supp. 732 | 16 |
| 1972 | Agua Caliente Band of Mission Indians' Tribal Council v. City of Palm Springs | 347 F. Supp. 42 | 14 |
| 1962 | Grajczyk v. DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY | 210 F. Supp. 702 | 14 |
| 1977 | Blake v. City of Los Angeles | 435 F. Supp. 55 | 12 |
| 1976 | United States v. Hughes Tool Co. | 415 F. Supp. 637 | 12 |
| 1970 | Hatter v. Los Angeles City High School District | 310 F. Supp. 1309 | 9 |
| 1963 | Schlingman v. United States | 229 F. Supp. 454 | 9 |
| 1976 | Abrams v. Hills | 415 F. Supp. 550 | 7 |
| 1970 | Simon v. Cameron | 337 F. Supp. 1380 | 7 |
| 1963 | United States v. Armour and Company | 214 F. Supp. 123 | 7 |
| 1985 | Flexivan Leasing, Inc. v. M/V C.C. San Francisco | 628 F. Supp. 1077 | 6 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 27 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 Jesse William Curtis Jr.?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed Jesse William Curtis Jr. to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in 1962.
- Was Jesse William Curtis Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Jesse William Curtis 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 Jesse William Curtis Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- Jesse William Curtis Jr. was confirmed by voice vote on August 25, 1962. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Jesse William Curtis Jr. on?
- Jesse William Curtis Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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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23 years on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).