John Minor Wisdom (May 17, 1905 – May 15, 1999), one of the "Fifth Circuit Four", and a Republican from Louisiana, was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit during the 1950s and 1960s, when that court became known for a series of crucial decisions that advanced the goals of the Civil Rights Movement. At that time, the Fifth Circuit included not only Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (its jurisdiction since October 1, 1981), but also Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the Panama Canal Zone.
John Minor Wisdom
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Born 1905 in New Orleans, LA
Died 1999 in New Orleans, LA
FJC ID: 2622
Career output and lasting influence
Opinions attributed per year · peak 40/year
Later decisions citing those opinions, per year · peak 626/year
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals · 1957–1999
Both charts share the same year axis. Opinion counts include only opinions in our corpus attributed to this judge so far — a year at zero can mean an attribution gap, not judicial silence. Influence typically outlasts the career: citations keep climbing after the last opinion.
- Gender
- Male
- Race
- White
Prior employment
- Private practice, New Orleans, Louisiana1929–1957
Adjunct professor of law · 1938–1957
U.S. Army lieutenant colonel1942–1946
Appointments
1957–1999 · Appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)Term ended: Death
Education
- LL.B. · 1929
- Washington and Lee UniversityA.B. · 1925