John Louis Coffey

Who was John Louis Coffey?

John Louis Coffey was a United States federal judge.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Coffey received a B.A. from Marquette University in 1943 and was in the United States Navy during World War II, from 1943 to 1946. He received a LL.D. from Marquette University Law School in 1948. He was an assistant city attorney for the City of Milwaukee from 1949 to 1954. He was a judge for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, first as a Civil Court judge from 1954 to 1960, then a Municipal Court judge from 1960 to 1962, and then as a Circuit Court judge, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin from 1962 to 1978. He was the senior judge of the Criminal Division from 1972 to 1975, and chief presiding judge of the Criminal Division in 1976, switching to the civil Division from 1976 to 1978. He was a Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1978 to 1982.

On February 19, 1982, Coffey was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated by Thomas Edward Fairchild. Coffey was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 18, 1982, and received his commission on March 19, 1982. He assumed senior status on July 2, 2004, and retired on January 1, 2012.