Frederic Dodge
How Judge Dodge rules, drawn from 24 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Dodge no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Dodge
Frederic Dodge was a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt, Judge Dodge received a commission on February 23, 1905. Judge Dodge left the court on September 10, 1912 on appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
How Judge Dodge decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Treats the parties’ course of dealing and commercial purpose as evidence that reusable branded containers remained the supplier’s property.
“The evidence seems to me to warrant the conclusion that the charge or credit of 50 cents was regarded by both parties, not as the purchase price of the cans, but as a deposit to insure their return.”
Procedural preferences
In In re Lennox, he declined to reexamine issues already settled by the appellate mandate because the district court lacked power to reopen them.
“Now that they have been thus settled this court is without power to re-examine them.”
Cautions
In In re Lewis Shoe Co., he denied creditors’ proposed amendment to an involuntary bankruptcy petition because the new transfer allegation lacked the property, timing, and recipient details and appeared to rest on conjecture.
“The alleged bankrupt ought not to be compelled to meet allegations made upon the mere anticipation that something of the kind may perhaps be disclosed in the course of the hearing now ordered before the referee.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the receiver’s petition is denied, and the marshal will pay the proceeds of the sale in the regular way into the registry of the court.”
“I think his claim is entitled to priority to the amount of $260.”
“The exceptions must be overruled, the master’s report confirmed, and the petitioner ordered to stipulate in the sum of $413.79 as the value of his interest in the vessel.”
“The referee’s order is therefore approved and affirmed.”
“The petition is to be dismissed.”
“I must therefore overrule the dismissal of the petition to reclaim, and direct that'it be allowed.”
The court referred the proposed composition for further inquiry and entered no final ruling on confirmation.
“The referee’s order of dismissal is approved and affirmed.”
“The application is denied.”
“The petition to amend is denied.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No case-level docket record was returned for Dodge’s 1905–1912 tenure. The profile therefore makes no claim about caseload mix, case duration, administrative dispositions, or motion timing.
A historical record
Judge Dodge no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.