Mastin Gentry White (January 1, 1901 – July 25, 1987) was a judge of the

United States Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...

from 1982 to 1987. Born in Van Zandt County, Texas, White 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 Ch ...

from the

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...

in 1927, an

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

from New Mexico State Teachers College (now

Western New Mexico University Western New Mexico University is a public university in Silver City, New Mexico. It was founded in 1893. History Founded in the Territory of New Mexico on February 11, 1893 as the New Mexico Normal School, the school began to offer classes on S ...

) in 1929, a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1930, and a

Doctor of Juridical Science A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; ), or a Doctor of Science of Law (JSD; ), is a research doctorate in law equivalent to the more commonly awarded Doctor of Philosophy degree. Australia The S.J.D. is offered by the Australian National Univ ...

from Harvard Law School in 1933.Federal Judicial Center page for Mastin G. White
He was an assistant county attorney for Smith County, Texas, from 1927 to 1930. He entered academia as an associate professor at the

, from 1930 to 1932, and then as a Brandeis research fellow at Harvard Law School from 1932 to 1933. White then went into government service, first as a special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States in the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

, from 1933 to 1935, and then as a solicitor in the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

, from 1935 to 1942. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served as a colonel in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, from 1942 to 1946. After the war, he was a Solicitor for the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the man ...

from 1946 to 1953, and chaired Department of Interior Loyalty Board hearings against federal employees alleged to be disloyal to the US Government. He was briefly in private practice in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, from 1953 to 1955. In 1955, White became a trial judge of the United States Court of Claims. He was in active service as a judge of that court until 1971, when he became a senior trial judge. On October 1, 1982, White was appointed 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 ...

as senior judge holding a new seat on the

, authorized by 96 Stat. 27. However, because the statute made no specific provision for such an appointment, on November 10, 1982, he received a recess appointment from President Ronald Reagan as a judge in regular active service in the same seat.Federal Judicial Center
History of the Federal Judiciary, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 1982-present: Judge Succession Chart
He served in this capacity for nine days before once again assuming senior status on November 19, 1982, serving in this capacity until his death, in Washington, D.C. White was one of several judges originally assigned to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for whom no successor was appointed.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Mastin G. 1901 births 1987 deaths Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims United States Army officers United States Article I federal judges appointed by Ronald Reagan University of Texas School of Law alumni 20th-century American judges Western New Mexico University alumni