Southern District of California / Appointed 1985 / Served to 2007

John Skylstead Rhoades Sr.

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 and confirmed by voice vote, John Skylstead Rhoades Sr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. He earned a law degree from University of California Hastings College of the Law (now UC College of the Law, San Francisco) in 1951. Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, October 25, 1985

Appointed by
Ronald Reagan, 1985
Confirmed
by voice vote
Education
Stanford 1948 · University of California Hastings College of the Law (now UC College of the Law, San Francisco) 1951
Succeeded by
Thomas J. Whelan
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1985Southern District of California · succeeded Leland Chris NielsenReagan (R)voice

A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Education
Sources

21 years on the Southern District of California. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).