John Milton Bryan Simpson (May 30, 1903 – August 22, 1987) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * M ...

and the

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts: * Middle District of Alabama * Northern District of Alabama * ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (in case citations, S.D. Fla. or S.D. Fl.) is the federal United States district court with territorial jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida.. Appeals ...

and the

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appea ...

Education and career

Born in

Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, Simpson received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

Fredric G. Levin College of Law The University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law (UF Law) is the law school of the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest operating public law school in Florida, and second oldest overall ...

at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in 1926. He was in private practice of law in

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, Florida from 1926 to 1946. He was an assistant state's attorney of the Fourth Florida Circuit from 1933 to 1939. He was a Judge of the Criminal Court of Record in Duval County, Florida from 1939 to 1943. He was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

First Lieutenant from 1943 to 1945. He was a Judge of the Criminal Court of Record in Duval County from 1945 to 1946. He was a Circuit Judge of the

Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida The Florida circuit courts are state courts, and are trial courts of original jurisdiction for most controversies. In Florida, the circuit courts are one of four types of courts created by the Florida Constitution (the other three being The Flo ...

from 1946 to 1950.

Federal judicial service

Simpson was nominated by President

Harry S Truman Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

on September 14, 1950, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Louie Willard Strum. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on September 23, 1950, and received his commission on September 26, 1950. He served as Chief Judge from 1961 to 1962. He was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

on October 29, 1962 to the newly created

, to a seat established by 76 Stat. 247. He served as Chief Judge from 1962 to 1966. His service was terminated on November 22, 1966, due to elevation to the Fifth Circuit. Simpson was nominated by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

on October 11, 1966, to the

, to a new seat created by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by the Senate on October 20, 1966, and received his commission on November 3, 1966. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on June 30, 1975. He was reassigned by

on October 1, 1981, to the

. His service was terminated on August 22, 1987, due to his death.

Notable case

Simpson was noted for his legal decisions during the civil rights demonstrations in St. Augustine, Florida that led directly to the passage of the landmark

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

Honor

The

John Milton Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse The Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse is a courthouse and U.S. federal government facility in Jacksonville, Florida. It houses: *The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, and corresponding of ...

in Jacksonville in named in his honor.

References

Sources

External links

A Guide to the Judge John Milton Bryan Simpson Papers, 1933-1983
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George A. Smathers Libraries The George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida constitute one of the largest university library systems in the United States. The system includes eight of the nine libraries of the University of Florida and provides primary support ...

Special and Area Studies Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, John Milton Bryan 1903 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida People from Kissimmee, Florida United States Army officers United States court of appeals judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman