John Alton Reed Jr.
Appointed by President Richard M. Nixon in 1973 and confirmed by voice vote, John Alton Reed Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He earned a law degree from Duke University School of Law in 1956. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1931–2015
- Appointed by
- Richard M. Nixon, 1973
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Duke 1954 · Duke Law 1956
- Succeeded
- William Allan McRae Jr.
- Succeeded by
- Patricia C. Fawsett
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Middle District of Florida succeeded William Allan McRae Jr. | 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
| Duke University | A.B. | 1954 |
| Duke University School of Law | LL.B. | 1956 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Reed authored 32 published opinions for the court (1973–1984). Most cited: Ferland v. Orange Groves of Florida, Inc. (27 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Ferland v. Orange Groves of Florida, Inc. | 377 F. Supp. 690 | 27 |
| 1976 | Palmer v. Ribax, Inc. | 407 F. Supp. 974 | 14 |
| 1983 | Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. v. Shubert | 577 F. Supp. 406 | 12 |
| 1984 | In Re Fantastic Homes Enterprises, Inc. | 44 B.R. 999 | 10 |
| 1978 | United States v. Carcaise | 442 F. Supp. 1209 | 9 |
| 1984 | United States v. Lambert | 589 F. Supp. 366 | 8 |
| 1983 | Starkenstein v. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. | 572 F. Supp. 189 | 8 |
| 1974 | Stickney v. E. R. Squibb & Sons, Inc. | 377 F. Supp. 785 | 8 |
| 1980 | United States v. Bragg | 493 F. Supp. 470 | 7 |
| 1979 | United States v. Wills | 475 F. Supp. 492 | 7 |
| 1976 | Daves v. City of Longwood | 423 F. Supp. 503 | 7 |
| 1975 | Holmes v. Elks Club, Inc. | 389 F. Supp. 854 | 7 |
| 1982 | Lake v. Martin Marietta Corp. | 538 F. Supp. 725 | 6 |
| 1982 | United States v. Pomp | 538 F. Supp. 513 | 5 |
| 1980 | Stewart v. Southern Music Distributing Co., Inc. | 503 F. Supp. 258 | 5 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 32 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 Alton Reed Jr.?
- President Richard M. Nixon appointed John Alton Reed Jr. to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in 1973.
- Was John Alton Reed Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- John Alton Reed Jr. was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was John Alton Reed Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- John Alton Reed Jr. was confirmed by voice vote on August 3, 1973. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was John Alton Reed Jr. on?
- John Alton Reed Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
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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11 years on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).