Walter Early Craig
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and confirmed by voice vote, Walter Early Craig was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. He earned a law degree from Stanford Law School in 1934. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1909–1986
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1963
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Stanford 1931 · Stanford Law School 1934
- Succeeded
- Arthur Marshall Davis
- Succeeded by
- Charles Leach Hardy
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | District of Arizona succeeded Arthur Marshall Davis | 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
| Stanford University | B.A. | 1931 |
| Stanford Law School | J.D. | 1934 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Craig authored 21 published opinions for the court (1965–1982). Most cited: Dodge v. Nakai (39 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Dodge v. Nakai | 298 F. Supp. 17 | 39 |
| 1980 | Saf-Gard Products, Inc. v. Service Parts, Inc. | 491 F. Supp. 996 | 20 |
| 1967 | United States v. Claridge | 279 F. Supp. 87 | 15 |
| 1969 | Dodge v. Nakai | 298 F. Supp. 26 | 13 |
| 1975 | Cook v. Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. | 397 F. Supp. 1217 | 12 |
| 1974 | Saf-Gard Products, Inc. v. Service Parts, Inc. | 370 F. Supp. 257 | 8 |
| 1965 | Denison v. Udall | 248 F. Supp. 942 | 8 |
| 1974 | McGuire v. Blubaum | 376 F. Supp. 284 | 7 |
| 1967 | Kruchten v. Eyman | 276 F. Supp. 858 | 7 |
| 1975 | Voyles v. Thorneycroft | 398 F. Supp. 706 | 6 |
| 1969 | Cochran v. United States | 299 F. Supp. 1113 | 6 |
| 1968 | Spitalny v. United States | 288 F. Supp. 650 | 6 |
| 1976 | Westside Property Owners v. Schlesinger | 415 F. Supp. 1298 | 5 |
| 1982 | PLANNED PARENTHOOD, ETC. v. State of Ariz. | 537 F. Supp. 90 | 4 |
| 1982 | Gonzales v. City of Peoria | 537 F. Supp. 793 | 3 |
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 Walter Early Craig?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed Walter Early Craig to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in 1963.
- Was Walter Early Craig appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Walter Early Craig was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Walter Early Craig's confirmation vote?
- Walter Early Craig was confirmed by voice vote on September 25, 1963. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Walter Early Craig on?
- Walter Early Craig was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
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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22 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).