George P. Wanty
Judge Wanty no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Wanty decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Wanty inferred unfair competition from the combined visual effect and commercial purpose of packaging choices rather than evaluating each common design element in isolation.
“the object is too apparent to admit of argument.”
He treated a patent's practical advance over the prior art as evidence of validity even when the individual components were known.
“I think the patent is valid.”
Procedural preferences
Wanty required equitable relief to remain within the case actually pleaded so that the opposing party had notice and an opportunity to answer.
“The recovery must be had upon the case made by the pleadings or not at all.”
He gave respectful weight to a coordinate district judge's ruling within the same circuit while awaiting appellate clarification.
“A comity which exists would not compel me to follow his ruling, but would suggest that, until his ruling has been reviewed by the Circuit Court of Appeals, I ought to follow it.”
Cautions
Wanty would not let a negligence case reach the jury when the proof merely left several possible causes and required guesswork about employer fault.
“it is not for the-jury to guess between these half a, dozen causes”
He treated delay and changed circumstances as independently capable of making specific performance inequitable.
“The condition of the property and the position of the parties have so changed that a decree for specific performance would be inequitable”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The exceptions are overruled.”
“the bill in this case and the bill in the case of St. Clair Tunnel Company v. Perry F. Powers, Auditor General, should be dismissed.”
“for these reasons I shall deny the application for a preliminary injunction in this cause.”
“The complainant is entitled to a decree in the usual form, but no accounting for profits and damages before notice was served on the defendant.”
“a decree will be entered for an injunction and accounting in the usual form.”
“a permanent injunction should issue as prayed.”
“The fraud is apparent, and the motion for a preliminary injunction will be granted.”
“The errors pointed out make it necessary to reverse the judgment, and order a new trial.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No case-level docket record was returned for Wanty's tenure. The profile therefore makes no claim about his complete caseload mix, case duration, administrative dispositions, or motion timing.
A historical record
Judge Wanty 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.