John Jay Jackson Jr.
How Judge Jackson rules, drawn from 18 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Jackson no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Jackson
John Jay Jackson, Jr. was a judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Appointed by President Abraham Lincoln, Judge Jackson was commissioned to the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia on August 3, 1861 and reassigned to this court on July 1, 1901. Judge Jackson retired on March 15, 1905.
How Judge Jackson decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In bankruptcy-discharge disputes, Jackson required objecting creditors to prove a statutory ground with evidence sufficient to satisfy the court; suspicion alone did not defeat discharge.
“A bankrupt will not be denied his discharge without proof that satisfies the court that he has committed some one of the offenses named in the statute”
When reviewing a master's allocation between co-owners, Jackson applied contribution principles so that a party receiving a shared benefit also bore a fair share of the expense.
“A tenant in common, claiming an equality of benefit, must submit to an equality of burden.”
Jackson treated undisputed custody of bankruptcy property as sufficient for a summary turnover order, rather than forcing the trustee to file a separate suit where ownership was not contested.
“the trustee should not be driven to his action to obtain possession of property of the bankrupt simply because such property is in the possession or custody of another not claiming ownership thereof”
Procedural preferences
Jackson enforced statutory appellate deadlines as jurisdictional limits that neither the trial court nor appellate court could extend.
“no act of this court, nor of the appellate court, can create a right by legal intendment or legal action”
He remanded removed litigation when complete relief necessarily operated on resident and nonresident defendants together, leaving no separable controversy.
“I have reached the conclusion that the defense of the defendants is one and inseparable”
Cautions
Even after finding an interstate seizure unlawful and describing it as close to kidnapping, Jackson declined pretrial federal habeas relief while a valid state indictment remained pending.
“Such action upon the part of the agent of the state of West Virginia was an outrage upon the rights and liberty of this citizen”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“A bankrupt will not be denied his discharge without proof that satisfies the court that he has committed some one of the offenses named in the statute which would justify the court in its action in refusing the discharge. The finding of the referee is approved.”
“As I have said before in this opinion, the appeal is refused.”
“The punishment is ninety days in jail.”
“are overruled, for the reason that the trustee was acting as the agent of the joint co-owners of the land with the plaintiffs in this action”
“the court is of the opinion that the third and fourth exceptions to the master's report should be sustained, and referred back to the master”
“For the reasons assigned, we are of the opinion that the court below erred in overruling the plea of the statute of limitations, and that the case should be reversed. Reversed.”
“Upon the facts of this case an order should be entered requiring Mrs. Moore to forthwith turn over to the trustee all property of the bankrupt of every description, in her possession”
“the judgments filed in the case are provable debts”
“the judgments filed in the case are provable debts, and are not entitled to precedence in the distribution of the bankrupt's assets”
“For this reason, the court overrules the plea in abatement in this case.”
“the injunction should be perpetuated, restraining and inhibiting all those claiming under said leases from further operating or asserting any rights under them.”
“The court, for the reasons assigned, is of opinion to sustain the exceptions to the master's report as to so much of his finding as is based upon parol evidence in the case of what transpired at the meeting of the incorporators”
“I feel constrained, under the decisions of the supreme court of the United States, to refuse to discharge the prisoner as prayed for in her petition, and as a consequence must remand her to the custody of the state authorities.”
“It follows that, as the county court is a citizen of the same state as the complainants, the suit is not removable, and the case will be remanded, for the reasons assigned, to the circuit court of Randolph county.”
“The court is of opinion to overrule this exception, for the reason that the bankrupt law expressly provides for the cost of administration as a prior lien upon the assets of the bankrupt's estate”
“must be allowed and paid out of the bankrupt’s estate before the funds arising therefrom can be applied to the discharge of liens against the bankrupt’s estate”
“there being no evidence filed before the judge of this court that the allowance made by the referee was unjust, excessive, and exorbitant, I am of opinion not to disturb it”
“the court is of opinion to overrule all the exceptions in regard to it”
“For the reasons assigned, the court is of opinion to overrule the exceptions certified for review, as well as the other exceptions which were not certified by the referee for review.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The surviving reported-opinion sample includes bankruptcy administration, land and lease disputes, admiralty, habeas corpus, removal jurisdiction, contempt, and appeals heard while Jackson sat by designation. It is not a complete measure of his caseload.
A historical record
Judge Jackson 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.