Charles Dickens Clark
How Judge Clark rules, drawn from 30 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Clark no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Clark decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
When interim rate enforcement threatened to destroy a utility before final adjudication, Clark treated the practical loss of the business as central to preliminary relief.
“a denial of the injunction might, in its practical effect, amount to a denial of all relief.”
Procedural preferences
Clark favored continued administration under close safeguards where creditor protection could be achieved without removing an assignee.
“the assignee will proceed with the discharge of his duties distinctly as provided by the trust deed”
Cautions
Clark required a genuinely substantial federal issue before exercising jurisdiction over a dispute grounded in state constitutional law.
“The action must be one which really and substantially involves a federal question”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Reversed, and case remanded, with directions to enter decree in favor of the state”
“I hold that the destruction of consignee’s property resulted from lhe negligence of the railway company; and the judgment, in my opinion, is one for damages done to property, within the class protected by the act of 1877.”
Clark examined constitutional challenges to Tennessee's assessment of railroad and telephone property, but the retained text ends before a final decree.
“The suit is accordingly dismissed, with costs.”
“His report is accordingly confirmed.”
“Motion for a new trial is consequently overruled.”
“The ruling of the referee is accordingly affirmed”
“The injunction is then denied, and the bill dismissed, at the costs of the complainants.”
“The motion to remand is accordingly granted.”
“I conclude that the government has made a case for recovery, and judgment will go accordingly.”
“The objection to the petitioner’s discharge is not, in my opinion, well taken;”
“tho first cause assigned in the original demurrer is sustained, and both suits dismissed, with costa,”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The reviewed decisions predate representative electronic case-level dockets. The profile therefore makes no claim about complete caseload mix, case duration, administrative dispositions, or motion timing.
A historical record
Judge Clark 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.