Paul John McCormick (April 23, 1879 – December 2, 1960) was a
United States district judge of the
United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Education and career
Born in
New York City,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, McCormick attended
St. Ignatius College (now the
University of San Francisco) and
read law
Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...
to enter the bar in 1900. He was in private practice in
Los Angeles,
California from 1900 to 1905. He was an assistant district attorney of
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
, California from 1905 to 1910, thereafter serving as a Judge of the
Los Angeles County Superior Court
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.
The ...
until 1921, and as an Associate Justice of the
District Court of Appeal of California from 1921 to 1924.
Federal judicial service
On February 7, 1924, McCormick was nominated by President
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
to a seat on the
United States District Court for the Southern District of California vacated by Judge
Oscar A. Trippet
Oscar A. Trippet (March 6, 1856 – July 15, 1923) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The Trippet Ranch gate of Topanga State Park is named f ...
. McCormick was confirmed by the
United States Senate on February 11, 1924, and received his commission the same day. He served as Chief Judge from 1948 to 1951. He assumed
senior status on September 1, 1951, serving in that capacity until his death on December 2, 1960.
Wickersham Commission
In 1929, President
Herbert Hoover appointed McCormick as one of the eleven primary members of the
Wickersham Commission on issues relating to law enforcement, criminal activity, police brutality, and Prohibition.
[Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment, Volume 1, edited by David Levinson, page 1708]
See also
*
James Stuart McKnight, Los Angeles City Council member sentenced by McCormick
References
Sources
*
Paul John McCormickat Courtlistener.com
* A short bio o
Paul John McCormickat openjurist.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormick, Paul John
1879 births
1960 deaths
Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
United States district court judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge
20th-century American judges
United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law