Curtis Dwight Wilbur

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit circuit Retired 1954 · served 1929–1954 Appointed by Herbert Hoover (Republican) 25 signed orders read

Judge Wilbur no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.

How Judge Wilbur decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

Wilbur followed a long-standing agency construction of an ambiguous statutory term when he found no sufficient reason to depart from it.

“We find no reason for departing from this uniform construction by the Treasury Department.”

He treated an indictment tracking the statute and alleging both falsity and fraudulent purpose as sufficient to charge the offense.

“the present allegations that the registration was false and for a fraudulent purpose following the language of the statute are a sufficient charge of the statutory crime.”

Procedural preferences

Wilbur declined to consider evidentiary sufficiency when the issue had not been raised through a motion or requested findings in the trial court.

“This question was not raised in the trial court either by motion or by request for findings or conclusion of law, and, consequently, cannot be considered by us.”

He upheld the denial of a new trial when newly discovered evidence weakened credibility but did not eliminate otherwise sufficient proof.

“The proffered newly discovered evidence was not sufficient to make the denial of a new trial an abuse of discretion, since it tended only to lessen but did not destroy the credibility of evidence taken at trial, which was sufficient to sustain conviction.”

Cautions

Wilbur found an abuse of discretion when a court set aside a stipulated permanent injunction on its own motion despite neither party objecting to the decree.

“we hold that it is an abuse of discretion for a judge, of his own motion, to set aside the decree.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Gilstrap v. Standard Oil Co.
· 1940-01-06
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“The respective judgments are affirmed.”

Resuam v. United States
· 1933-12-14
Appeal (appellant) Granted

“judgment in this ease is reversed, with instructions to dismiss.”

United States v. Buege
· 1935-01-21
Appeal (appellant) Granted

“For this error the judgment is reversed.”

Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland v. United States ex rel. Woods
· 1934-09-07
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“Judgment affirmed.”

United States v. Ray & Gila Valley Railroad
· 1934-02-05
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“the judgment is affirmed.”

Bank of California, National Ass'n v. Craddock-Terry Co.
· 1936-05-04
Appeal (appellant) Granted

“Upon the authority of these cases the judgment is reversed.”

Pillsbury v. Charles Nelson Co.
· 1932-02-08
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“the judgments, 48 F.(2d) 883, are affirmed.”

Bent v. Commissioner
· 1932-02-08
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“Order affirmed.”

Armstrong v. United States
· 1935-11-21
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“Judgment affirmed.”

United States v. La Favor
· 1934-09-07
Appeal (appellant) Granted

“Reversed.”

Arenas v. United States
· 1943-06-30
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“Affirmed.”

Joseph v. United States
· 1944-09-21
Appeal (appellant) Denied

“Affirmed.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

Not applicable to this circuit-court record.

A historical record

Judge Wilbur no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.