Walter Cummings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit | |
| In office 1981–1986 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas E. Fairchild |
| Succeeded by | William J. Bauer |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit | |
| In office August 11, 1966 – April 24, 1999 | |
| Appointed by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Seat created |
| Succeeded by | Ann Claire Williams |
| United States Solicitor General | |
| In office December 2, 1952 – March 1, 1953 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Philip Perlman |
| Succeeded by | Simon Sobeloff |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Walter Joseph Cummings Jr. (1916-09-29)September 29, 1916 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 24, 1999(1999-04-24) (aged 82) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
Walter Joseph Cummings Jr. (September 29, 1916 – April 24, 1999) was aUnited States Solicitor General and aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Born September 29, 1916, inChicago, Illinois, Cummings received aBachelor of Arts degree in 1937 fromYale University and aBachelor of Laws in 1940 fromHarvard Law School. At Yale, he served on the business staff of campus humor magazineThe Yale Record withRoy D. Chapin Jr. andJames S. Copley.[1] He served as Assistant Solicitor General and Special Assistant Attorney General at theUnited States Department of Justice from 1940 to 1946. He was in private practice in Chicago from 1946 to 1966. He served asUnited States Solicitor General from 1952 to 1953.[2]
In 1946, Cummings joined the Chicago law firm now known asSidley Austin as a partner. He remained at the firm until 1966, taking his only leave of absence to becomeSolicitor General of the United States after President Truman’s December 1, 1952 appointment. At age 36, Cummings was the youngest Solicitor general to serve in the position.[3] His short Solicitor General service (from December 1952–March 1953) was during the transitional period between the presidencies ofHarry S. Truman andDwight D. Eisenhower. Cummings only appeared before the Supreme Court in matters concerning alleged violations of thecivil rights of convicts in a Florida prison camp and a question concerning the constitutionality of the emergencystrike section of theTaft-Hartley Act.
Cummings was nominated by PresidentLyndon B. Johnson on July 11, 1966, to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on August 10, 1966, and received his commission on August 11, 1966. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of theJudicial Conference of the United States from 1981 to 1986. His service terminated on April 24, 1999, due to his death in Chicago.[2] He was the last federal appeals court judge in active service to have been appointed to his position by President Johnson.[a]
InSprogis v. United Airlines (1971), Cummings ruled that United Airlines's requirement that female employees be unmarried but allowing male employees to be married constitutes sex discrimination and violatesTitle VII of the Civil Rights Act.[4]
In 1979, Cummings ruled inCarroll v. Talman Federal Savings And Loan Association of Chicago that requiring female employees to wear uniforms while allowing male employees to wear suits of their choice constitutes sex discrimination. Cummings cited his earlier ruling inSprogis for his ruling inCarroll.[5]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Solicitor General 1952–1953 | Succeeded by |
| New seat | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit 1966–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit 1981–1986 | Succeeded by |
