Richard Johnson Putnam
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and confirmed by voice vote, Richard Johnson Putnam was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. He earned a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1937. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1913–2002
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1961
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Spring Hill College 1934 · Loyola New Orleans Law 1937
- Succeeded by
- W. Eugene Davis
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Western District of Louisiana | Kennedy (D) | 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
| Spring Hill College | B.S. | 1934 |
| Loyola University New Orleans School of Law | LL.B. | 1937 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Putnam was assigned 1,029 district-court cases (1984–2002). Median time from filing to termination: 435 days across 1,029 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
In our data, Putnam authored 65 published opinions for the court (1962–2001). Most cited: United States v. Lassiter (32 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | United States v. Lassiter | 203 F. Supp. 20 | 32 |
| 1971 | Brenham v. Southern Pacific Company | 328 F. Supp. 119 | 30 |
| 1966 | Broome v. Simon | 255 F. Supp. 434 | 30 |
| 1968 | In Re Trahan | 283 F. Supp. 620 | 27 |
| 1969 | Soileau v. Nicklos Drilling Company | 302 F. Supp. 119 | 25 |
| 1964 | Rouley v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. | 235 F. Supp. 786 | 20 |
| 1963 | Savoy v. Tidewater Oil Company | 218 F. Supp. 607 | 19 |
| 1966 | Dameron v. Harson | 255 F. Supp. 533 | 18 |
| 1967 | Hebert v. California Oil Company | 280 F. Supp. 754 | 16 |
| 1963 | Touchet v. Travelers Indemnity Company | 221 F. Supp. 376 | 16 |
| 1964 | Pure Oil Company v. M/V CARIBBEAN | 235 F. Supp. 299 | 15 |
| 1993 | Tingle v. Pacific Mutual Insurance | 837 F. Supp. 191 | 14 |
| 1974 | Hines v. D'Artois | 383 F. Supp. 184 | 13 |
| 1967 | Hanks v. California Company | 280 F. Supp. 730 | 13 |
| 1963 | Phillips v. Houston Fire & Casualty Insurance Company | 219 F. Supp. 420 | 12 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 65 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 Richard Johnson Putnam?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed Richard Johnson Putnam to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in 1961.
- Was Richard Johnson Putnam appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Richard Johnson Putnam was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Richard Johnson Putnam's confirmation vote?
- Richard Johnson Putnam was confirmed by voice vote on September 14, 1961. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Richard Johnson Putnam on?
- Richard Johnson Putnam was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
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
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
41 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).