James Scott Young
How Judge Young rules, drawn from 19 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Young no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Young decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
At the pleading stage, allegations of copyright ownership and work-for-hire authorship were taken as true, leaving proof for trial rather than dismissal.
“All the grounds of dismissal having been overruled, the respondent will be required to answer the bill within 20 days”
For unfair competition, the overall appearance to an ordinary purchaser—and evidence that actual buyers were deceived—outweighed small visible differences between products.
“the ordinary purchaser would be easily deceived by the similarity of appearance of the Baldwin and- Grier lamps”
In admiralty, shared knowledge and negligence supported dividing damages when the court could not measure each party’s contribution to the loss.
“the damages and costs should be equally divided.”
Procedural preferences
He used habeas process to obtain a confined witness only on a showing of genuine necessity, favoring a deposition when it could preserve another court’s orderly custody.
“Unless the necessity is so great that the ends of justice may be defeated if the evidence were not produced, the court of the jurisdiction where the evidence is needed will be slow to grant a writ”
Final bankruptcy dividends created vested creditor rights that the court would not disturb for claims proved after distribution.
“Under section 65c the creditor has a vested right in the dividend as soon as declared, which cannot be affected.”
Cautions
A patent claimant had to prove priority and novelty with sufficiently definite evidence; failure to carry that burden resulted in dismissal.
“We do not find in this evidence sufficient to satisfy us that Hunnicutt conceived and put into substantial form that which he claimed as his invention”
A federal court would not keep a limitation proceeding when the casualty, claimants, and existing suits belonged in another district and transfer costs could deny practical access to justice.
“To commence the limited liability proceeding here, hundreds of miles away from the place of the accident, would mean to bring the unfortunate people with all their witnesses here”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Let an order be drawn relieving the Eagle Building & Loan Association of the costs”
“also directing that the sum of $25 be retained by the association out of the money in its hands”
“He has not behaved himself as a man of good moral character for a period of five years before the hearing of this application, and his petition must therefore be refused.”
“The writ must therefore be quashed, and the petition dismissed, with costs.”
“After a careful and thorough consideration of the evidence, we are satisfied that the defendant has been guilty of unfair competition, and he should be restrained until the final hearing of the case for that reason.”
“the motion for judgment for defendant non obstante veredicto must be overruled”
“the order of the referee in bankruptcy in refusing the petition of the W. Bingham Company and the Oil Well Supply Company to set aside the order of distribution of December 12, 1912, and to permit said creditors to participate in the distribution, is affirmed.”
“All the grounds of dismissal having been overruled, the respondent will be required to answer the bill within 20 days”
“The bill will therefore be dismissed, at the cost of complainants.”
“the damages and costs should be equally divided.”
“We believe the authority rests in this court to aid the District Court for the Southern district of New York in its administration of the bankrupts’ estate by appointing an ancillary receiver who shall take the assets and preserve them until there shall be an adjudication and appointment of a trustee.”
“dismiss the bill, with costs to the respondent.”
“the bill will be dismissed, with costs.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The located published decisions are dominated by bankruptcy and patent disputes and also include equity, naturalization, habeas process, unfair competition, and admiralty. No electronic records are available to quantify the full caseload.
A historical record
Judge Young 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.