Talbot Smith
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and confirmed by voice vote, Talbot Smith was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He earned a law degree from University of Michigan Law School in 1934. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1899–1978
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1962
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- U.S. Naval Academy 1920 · University of Michigan Law School 1934
- Succeeded by
- Charles Wycliffe Joiner
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Eastern District of Michigan | 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
| U.S. Naval Academy | B.S. | 1920 |
| Naval Academy Postgraduate School | M.S. | 1928 |
| University of Michigan Law School | J.D. | 1934 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Smith authored 21 published opinions for the court (1962–1972). Most cited: Bank of Dearborn v. Saxon (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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Bank of Dearborn v. Saxon | 244 F. Supp. 394 | 36 |
| 1969 | Gregory v. Hershey | 311 F. Supp. 1 | 30 |
| 1970 | Shatterproof Glass Corp. v. Guardian Glass Company | 322 F. Supp. 854 | 25 |
| 1962 | Zirin Laboratories International, Inc. v. Mead-Johnson & Co. | 208 F. Supp. 633 | 18 |
| 1968 | B & B Oil & Chemical Co. v. Franklin Oil Corp. | 293 F. Supp. 1313 | 17 |
| 1970 | Davis Ex Rel. Davis v. Ann Arbor Public Schools | 313 F. Supp. 1217 | 14 |
| 1964 | United States v. Azar | 243 F. Supp. 345 | 14 |
| 1971 | COM-SHARE, INCORPORATED v. Computer Complex, Inc. | 338 F. Supp. 1229 | 13 |
| 1966 | In Re Petition for Naturalization of Edgar | 253 F. Supp. 951 | 13 |
| 1966 | Warren Bank v. Saxon | 263 F. Supp. 34 | 12 |
| 1963 | Green v. Local 705, Hotel & Restaurant Employees' & Bartenders' International Union | 220 F. Supp. 505 | 11 |
| 1962 | Van Rensselaer v. General Motors Corporation | 223 F. Supp. 323 | 11 |
| 1972 | United States v. CITY OF FLINT, COUNTY OF GENESEE, STATE OF MICHIGAN | 346 F. Supp. 1282 | 10 |
| 1972 | United States v. State of Michigan | 346 F. Supp. 1277 | 10 |
| 1965 | United States v. Foster | 238 F. Supp. 867 | 10 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 21 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 Talbot Smith?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed Talbot Smith to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 1962.
- Was Talbot Smith appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Talbot Smith was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Talbot Smith's confirmation vote?
- Talbot Smith was confirmed by voice vote on February 5, 1962. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Talbot Smith on?
- Talbot Smith was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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16 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).