Jesse William Curtis Jr.

Jesse William Curtis Jr. (December 26, 1905 – August 5, 2008) was a United States federal judge.

Born in San Bernardino, California, Curtis received a B.A. from the University of Redlands in 1928 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1932.^[1] He was in private practice in San Bernardino, California from 1932 to 1953, including after 1946 with his father, Jesse W. Curtis Sr., who was an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. Curtis was a judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County, California from 1953 to 1962.^[2]

On August 3, 1962, Curtis was nominated by President John F. Kennedy to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California created by 75 Stat. 80. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 25, 1962, and received his commission on August 27, 1962. On September 18, 1966, Curtis was reassigned by operation of law to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He assumed senior status on December 31, 1975, serving in that capacity until his retirement, on February 5, 1990.^[3] Having retired at the age of eighty-four, Curtis lived another eighteen years. He died in Irvine, California.

Curtis was the judge in Madrigal v. Quilligan, involving the sterilization of Latina women in Los Angeles. No más bebés is a documentary film made about this case.

References

Sources

• Jesse William Curtis Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.