James Campbell Hopkins
How Judge Hopkins rules, drawn from 29 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Hopkins no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Hopkins
James Campbell Hopkins was a judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. Appointed by President Ulysses Grant, Judge Hopkins received a commission on July 9, 1870. Judge Hopkins served until death on September 3, 1877.
How Judge Hopkins decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Hopkins treated a debtor’s knowing inaction as evidence of intent when it necessarily produced a creditor preference.
“the law presumes that he intended the natural consequences of his acts.”
Hopkins enforced the constitutional right to remove a case to federal court despite a contrary state licensing condition.
“The provision in the act of 1870, requiring the agreement not to remove, having been declared unconstitutional”
Procedural preferences
Hopkins required an involuntary-bankruptcy answer to be verified before allowing it to create costly factual litigation.
“Such unjustifiable practice by a debtor can not be allowed”
Hopkins held attaching creditors to a consistent secured or unsecured position within the same bankruptcy proceeding.
“Parties cannot play ‘fast and loose’ in that way.”
Cautions
Hopkins refused to cure a statutory service defect through judicial invention, even where proper service was difficult.
“Courts must administer the law as they find it, not supply defects in legislation when a difficult or hard case presents itself.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“have the right to prove their full debt against the estate of the bankrupt in this case as an unsecured debt”
“The proof of the claim is therefore stricken out and expunged”
“the prayer of his petition is therefore denied.”
“And the petition and motion of said Davis is denied.”
“Their claim is allowed at $393.64, and interest at seven per cent, since January 1, 1871.”
“reject the proposed answer of the debtor until verified.”
“I therefore deny the prayer of the petitioner, so far as he asks to have the assignee set off the horse, buggy, harness, sleigh, watch and manufacturer’s sewing machine as exempt to him, but direct that the as-signee set off to him the family sewing machine, as prayed.”
“I direct that the bill be dismissed, with costs to be paid by the complainant out of the estate of the bankrupt in his hands.”
“I, therefore, order and direct that an injunction issue against the defendant,, restraining him from so doing, as prayed in the bill.”
“I therefore adjudge the debtor to be a bankrupt, and subject to the provisions of the bankrupt act.”
Hopkins discussed mechanics’ lien priority but expressly reserved the operative issues until the claims were properly before the court.
“The motion to dismiss on the ground that a sufficient number of creditors have not joined in the petition is therefore denied.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No assigned docket records were returned for Hopkins’s tenure, so no caseload mix or case-duration summary is available.
A historical record
Judge Hopkins 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.