Joseph Whitaker Thompson
Appointed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931 and confirmed by voice vote, Joseph Whitaker Thompson was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He earned a law degree from University of Pennsylvania Law School (now Carey Law School) in 1887. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Opinions & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1861–1946
- Appointed by
- Herbert Hoover, 1931
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Pennsylvania Law School (now Carey Law School) 1887
- Succeeded by
- William Clark
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | Eastern District of Pennsylvania succeeded John Bayard McPherson | Taft (R) | Voice vote |
| 1931 | Third Circuit | Hoover (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
Judicial Record
In our data, Thompson authored 14 published opinions for the court (1924–1930). Most cited: In Re Sheinman (18 citations).
Published, precedential opinions from the CourtListener corpus. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Selected opinions
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | In Re Sheinman | 14 F.2d 323 | 18 |
| 1926 | United States v. McConnell | 10 F.2d 977 | 16 |
| 1927 | United States Ex Rel. Hassel v. Mathues | 22 F.2d 979 | 13 |
| 1926 | J. N. Collins Co. v. F. M. Paist Co. | 14 F.2d 614 | 13 |
| 1924 | The Hurricane | 2 F.2d 70 | 12 |
| 1926 | Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland v. A. S. Reid & Co. | 16 F.2d 502 | 9 |
| 1927 | The Fredensbro | 18 F.2d 983 | 7 |
| 1930 | Amdyco Corporation v. Urquhart | 39 F.2d 943 | 6 |
| 1925 | The Waco | 3 F.2d 476 | 5 |
| 1925 | Bassick Mfg. Co. v. Riley | 9 F.2d 138 | 4 |
| 1925 | Berwind-White Coal Mining Co. v. United States | 9 F.2d 429 | 3 |
| 1925 | Emaus Silk Co. v. McCaughn | 6 F.2d 660 | 3 |
| 1925 | Meyer v. Hurwitz | 5 F.2d 370 | 1 |
| 1930 | United States v. Fuller | 42 F.2d 471 | 0 |
Showing the 14 most-cited of 14 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 Joseph Whitaker Thompson?
- President Herbert Hoover appointed Joseph Whitaker Thompson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1931.
- Was Joseph Whitaker Thompson appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Joseph Whitaker Thompson was appointed by President Herbert Hoover, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Joseph Whitaker Thompson's confirmation vote?
- Joseph Whitaker Thompson was confirmed by voice vote on January 22, 1931. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Joseph Whitaker Thompson on?
- Joseph Whitaker Thompson was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
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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14 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).