Wiley Blount Rutledge Jr.
Judge Rutledge no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Rutledge decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Rutledge deferred to an agency's supported choice where Congress had committed a close line-drawing question to administrative discretion.
“The decision in such circumstances is a delicate one and has been delegated by Congress to the Board.”
He left disputed negligence questions to the jury when the evidence supported competing inferences.
“We cannot say as a matter of law that the jury was wrong in finding decedent not contributorily negligent.”
Procedural preferences
Rutledge treated litigation stipulations as subject to the court's equitable control when enforcement would work injustice.
“It is settled that a court cannot be deprived by stipulation of its power to give equitable relief.”
He required meaningful representation after an adjudicated person filed a facially sufficient habeas petition.
“It is the court’s duty, therefore, when a sufficient petition has been filed and its power thereby brought into play, to appoint either a guardian or counsel to represent the petitioner in the further stages of the proceeding.”
Cautions
Rutledge rejected institutional charity as a categorical shield from responsibility for negligent conduct.
“The incorporated charity should respond as do private individuals, business corporations and others, when it does good in the wrong way.”
He treated an unperfected appellate record as a decisive barrier after the appellant had ample opportunity to correct it.
“Since appellant has had more than ample opportunity to submit a narrative which the trial court will approve and has not done so, the record obviously cannot be perfected.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The decision of the Board of Tax Appeals of the District of Columbia is affirmed.”
“The action of the lower court is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.”
“The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.”
“The order is reversed and the cause remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Not applicable to this circuit-court record.
A historical record
Judge Rutledge 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.