Leonard I. Garth

How Judge Garth rules, drawn from 14 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

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

Court
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Position
district
Status
Deceased
Served
1969–2016
Appointed by
Richard Nixon (Republican)
Commissioned
1969-12-18
Education
Columbia University, B.A., 1942; Harvard Law School, LL.B., 1952
Signed orders read
14

How Judge Garth decides

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

What persuades

In the reviewed trademark dispute, evidence that a competitor chose a similar product name to benefit from an established mark supported an inference of likely confusion and permanent relief.

“Plaintiff is entitled to a permanent injunction restraining defendant from using ‘Rho-Imune’ as a trade-mark for Rh0 (D) Immune Globulin (Human) together with the costs of bringing this action.”

Procedural preferences

The court kept antitrust litigation moving while allowing the responsible federal agency to intervene, declining both a stay and dismissal where the agency lacked authority over the merger itself.

“An appropriate order shall be submitted granting FMC permissive intervention under Rule 24(b), F.R.C.P., denying a stay of the instant proceeding and denying FMC’s motion to dismiss the complaint.”

Cautions

In the reviewed civil-rights suit, appointed public defenders were not treated as state actors merely because the state selected them to represent indigent defendants.

“The motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ complaint is granted, but without costs.”

Signed rulings

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

United States ex rel. Wood v. Blacker
· 1971-12-09
Motions to dismiss (defendants) Granted

“The motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ complaint is granted, but without costs.”

Metropolitan Shipping Agents of Illinois, Inc. v. United States
· 1972-04-27

The three-judge court affirmed the Interstate Commerce Commission's order after finding substantial evidence that the plaintiff operated as a freight forwarder.

Oldroyd v. Kugler
· 1973-01-30

The three-judge court retained jurisdiction but stayed the flag-statute challenge for a state-law determination.

Foster v. Maldonado
· 1970-08-10

With liability admitted, the court held that Pennsylvania law governed survival damages and certified the controlling choice-of-law issue for interlocutory appeal.

Community Action Programs Executive Directors Association of New Jersey, Inc. v. Ash
899-73 · 1973-08-28
Motion for preliminary injunction and mandamus (plaintiffs) Granted

“Defendants will be enjoined and restrained from taking any action which would permit these funds from reverting to the Treasury, and will be ordered to release the funds forthwith.”

United States v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
· 1971-04-07
Motion to intervene (Federal Maritime Commission) Granted

“An appropriate order shall be submitted granting FMC permissive intervention under Rule 24(b), F.R.C.P., denying a stay of the instant proceeding and denying FMC’s motion to dismiss the complaint.”

Motions to stay (Federal Maritime Commission) Denied
Motions to dismiss (Federal Maritime Commission) Denied
Freeman & Bass, P.A. v. State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation
· 1973-06-06
Application for temporary restraining order (plaintiffs) Denied

“As to plaintiffs’ request in chief for relief pending a hearing for a preliminary injunction, I find on the affidavits submitted, no cause at this time to enjoin the investigation as requested.”

Motions to dismiss (defendants Heymann and Rosen) Granted

“Count II will be dismissed against defendants Heymann and Rosen with prejudice and without costs for failure to state a cause of action upon which relief can be granted.”

Johnson & Johnson v. Colgate-Palmolive Co.
· 1972-06-27

After trial, the court held that the applicant's mark was not likely to be confused with the opponent's registered mark.

Cine-Com Theatres Eastern States, Inc. v. Lordi
· 1972-11-20
Application for declaratory relief (plaintiff) Granted

“The application on the petition of the plaintiff for declaratory relief that New Jersey L.1971, c. 449 (codified at N.J.S. 2A:115-1.1 (Supp.1972)) is unconstitutional on its face as in violation of the First Amendment is granted; the prayer for injunctive relief is denied.”

Application for injunctive relief (plaintiff) Denied
Young Women's Christian Association of Princeton, New Jersey v. Kugler
264-70; 431-70 · 1972-02-29

Garth authored a separate concurrence and partial dissent; the court's disposition is not attributed to him in this record.

United States v. United Association of Journeymen & Apprentices, Local Union No. 24
· 1973-08-20

Following trial and negotiated remedial provisions, the court entered a final decree addressing discriminatory union membership and apprenticeship practices.

Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp. v. American Cyanamid Co.
· 1973-07-30
Application for preliminary and permanent injunction (plaintiff) Granted

“Plaintiff is entitled to a permanent injunction restraining defendant from using ‘Rho-Imune’ as a trade-mark for Rh0 (D) Immune Globulin (Human) together with the costs of bringing this action.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

No matching historical assigned-case cohort was located, so this record makes no claim about the judge's district-era caseload mix.

A historical record

Judge Garth 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.