Merrill E. Otis
Appointed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 and confirmed by voice vote, Merrill E. Otis was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He earned a law degree from University of Missouri School of Law in 1910. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1884–1944
- Appointed by
- Calvin Coolidge, 1925
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Missouri 1906 · University of Missouri Law 1910
- Succeeded
- Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh
- Succeeded by
- Albert Alphonso Ridge
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Western District of Missouri succeeded Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh | Coolidge (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
| University of Missouri | A.B. | 1906 |
| University of Missouri | A.M. | 1910 |
| University of Missouri School of Law | LL.B. | 1910 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Otis authored 52 published opinions for the court (1927–1944). Most cited: United States v. Brunett (36 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | United States v. Brunett | 53 F.2d 219 | 36 |
| 1934 | Missouri Utilities Co. v. City of California | 8 F. Supp. 454 | 34 |
| 1940 | McCann v. Bentley Stores Corporation | 34 F. Supp. 234 | 28 |
| 1939 | United States v. Carrollo | 30 F. Supp. 3 | 24 |
| 1939 | United States v. Pendergast | 28 F. Supp. 601 | 20 |
| 1941 | Wingate v. General Auto Parts Co. | 40 F. Supp. 364 | 18 |
| 1939 | Sonken-Galamba Corporation v. Atchison, T. & SF Ry. Co. | 30 F. Supp. 936 | 16 |
| 1939 | United States v. Clark | 29 F. Supp. 138 | 16 |
| 1937 | Donnelly Garment Co. v. International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union | 20 F. Supp. 767 | 16 |
| 1942 | United States v. Baumgartner | 47 F. Supp. 622 | 15 |
| 1940 | Sonken-Galamba Corp. v. Atchison, T. & S. F. RY. Co. | 34 F. Supp. 15 | 14 |
| 1940 | Rogers v. Glazer | 32 F. Supp. 990 | 14 |
| 1939 | Wadlow v. Humberd | 27 F. Supp. 210 | 13 |
| 1941 | Harrison v. Kansas City Terminal Ry. Co. | 36 F. Supp. 434 | 12 |
| 1936 | In Re Manufacturing Lumbermen's Underwriters | 18 F. Supp. 114 | 11 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 52 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 Merrill E. Otis?
- President Calvin Coolidge appointed Merrill E. Otis to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in 1925.
- Was Merrill E. Otis appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Merrill E. Otis was appointed by President Calvin Coolidge, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Merrill E. Otis's confirmation vote?
- Merrill E. Otis was confirmed by voice vote on December 14, 1925. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Merrill E. Otis on?
- Merrill E. Otis was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
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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19 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).