John Powers Crowley
Appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1976 and confirmed by voice vote, John Powers Crowley was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He earned a law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1960. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1936–1989
- Appointed by
- Gerald Ford, 1976
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- DePaul College of Law 1960
- Succeeded
- Richard Bevan Austin
- Succeeded by
- William Thomas Hart
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Northern District of Illinois succeeded Richard Bevan Austin | Ford (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
| DePaul University College of Law | LL.B. | 1960 |
| New York University School of Law | LL.M. | 1961 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Crowley authored 51 published opinions for the court (1976–1981). Most cited: Magnavox Co. v. APF Electronics, Inc. (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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Magnavox Co. v. APF Electronics, Inc. | 496 F. Supp. 29 | 31 |
| 1979 | United States v. Siegel | 472 F. Supp. 440 | 29 |
| 1981 | In Re Cenco Inc. Securities Litigation | 519 F. Supp. 322 | 23 |
| 1981 | Gautreaux v. Landrieu | 523 F. Supp. 665 | 19 |
| 1979 | R. J. Hereley & Son Co. v. Stotler & Co. | 466 F. Supp. 345 | 16 |
| 1977 | Securities & Exchange Commission v. Cenco Inc. | 436 F. Supp. 193 | 15 |
| 1980 | Garman v. New York Life Insurance | 501 F. Supp. 51 | 14 |
| 1977 | United States v. Hairston | 439 F. Supp. 515 | 14 |
| 1980 | United States v. Keller | 499 F. Supp. 415 | 13 |
| 1977 | Vasquez v. Werner Continental, Inc. | 429 F. Supp. 513 | 12 |
| 1980 | Chicago Reader, Inc. v. Metro College Publishing, Inc. | 495 F. Supp. 441 | 10 |
| 1979 | Masterson v. United States | 478 F. Supp. 454 | 10 |
| 1978 | Fremont v. McGraw-Edison Co. | 460 F. Supp. 599 | 10 |
| 1978 | Hurst v. Hederman | 451 F. Supp. 1354 | 10 |
| 1981 | Gautreaux v. Landrieu | 523 F. Supp. 684 | 9 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 51 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 John Powers Crowley?
- President Gerald Ford appointed John Powers Crowley to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1976.
- Was John Powers Crowley appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- John Powers Crowley was appointed by President Gerald Ford, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was John Powers Crowley's confirmation vote?
- John Powers Crowley was confirmed by voice vote on June 16, 1976. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was John Powers Crowley on?
- John Powers Crowley was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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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5 years on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).