List of federal judges appointed by James K. Polk
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Following is a list of all Article III United States federal judges appointed by President James K. Polk during his presidency.[1] In total Polk appointed 10 Article III federal judges, including 2 Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States, 1 judge to the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, and 7 judges to the United States district courts.
Polk faced some obstacles in seating Justices on the Supreme Court. After Henry Baldwin's death in April 1844, Polk nominated James Buchanan for the seat, but Buchanan declined the nomination. Polk then nominated George Washington Woodward of Pennsylvania to Baldwin's seat, but the nomination was rejected by the United States Senate by a vote of 20–29. Polk finally succeeded with the nomination of Robert Cooper Grier, filling the vacancy after two years.
Robert Cooper Grier, one of President Polk's two appointees to the Supreme Court.
Polk appointed William Marvin as the first judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
United States Supreme Court justices
| # | Justice | Seat | State | Former justice | Nomination date |
Confirmation date |
Began active service |
Ended active service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levi Woodbury | 2 | New Hampshire | Joseph Story | December 23, 1845 | January 3, 1846 | September 20, 1845[2] | September 4, 1851 |
| 2 | Robert Cooper Grier | 3 | Pennsylvania | Henry Baldwin | August 3, 1846 | August 4, 1846 | August 4, 1846 | January 31, 1870 |
Circuit courts
| # | Judge | Circuit | Nomination date |
Confirmation date |
Began active service |
Ended active service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Dunlop | D.C. | December 23, 1845 | February 3, 1846 | October 3, 1845[3] | November 27, 1855[4] |
District courts
| # | Judge | Court [Note 1] |
Nomination date |
Confirmation date |
Began active service |
Ended active service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John White Brockenbrough | W.D. Va. | December 23, 1845 | January 14, 1846 | January 14, 1846 | May 4, 1861 |
| 2 | John Charles Watrous | D. Tex./E.D. Tex. | May 27, 1846 | May 29, 1846 | May 29, 1846 | April 19, 1870[5] |
| 3 | John K. Kane | E.D. Pa. | June 11, 1846 | June 17, 1846 | June 17, 1846 | February 21, 1858 |
| 4 | Isaac H. Bronson | D. Fla./N.D. Fla. | May 5, 1846 | August 8, 1846 | August 8, 1846 | August 13, 1855[6] |
| 5 | John James Dyer | D. Iowa | February 8, 1847 | March 3, 1847 | March 3, 1847 | September 14, 1855 |
| 6 | William Marvin | S.D. Fla. | March 2, 1847 | March 3, 1847 | March 3, 1847 | July 1, 1863 |
| 7 | Andrew G. Miller | D. Wis./E.D. Wis. | June 12, 1848 | June 12, 1848 | June 12, 1848 | January 1, 1873[7] |