Henry Thomas Reed
Judge Reed no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Reed decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Reed treated a bank's ordinary setoff as valid absent collusion, while requiring factual findings before deciding whether a separate payment was an avoidable preference.
“it is plain that the bank is entitled to have this amount applied as an offset upon its note against the bankrupt, in the absence of collusion between them”
On preliminary trademark relief, he required clear and satisfactory proof that a competitor intended to mislead buyers rather than inferring fraud from resemblance alone.
“The burden is upon the complainant to establish by clear and satisfactory proof the fraudulent intent and purpose of the defendant”
Procedural preferences
Reed expected witnesses to answer after objections were preserved, leaving admissibility and relevance for the court rather than counsel or the witness to decide.
“questions of the competency of a witness, or the pertinency of testimony deemed objectionable, should be answered by the witness, after objections thereto are noted, instead of counsel assuming to decide what questions shall or shall not be answered”
He followed controlling appellate rulings unless and until the appellate court changed them, rejecting attempts to relitigate the same preliminary-injunction defenses.
“until it shall do so this court feels that it is bound by the former decision of that court.”
Cautions
An untimely bankruptcy-discharge petition failed even though the referee had supplied an erroneous deadline; Reed placed responsibility on the debtor and counsel to track the adjudication date.
“The bankrupt and his attorney-should take notice of the date of the adjudication, and see that the petition for discharge is filed within the year from such date.”
For historical bankruptcy jurisdiction, Reed looked to the actual center and volume of business rather than the partners' residences.
“the principal place of business of Gurler Company was at Cedar Rapids, in this state, and within the jurisdiction of this court”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The demurrer to this indictment will therefore, as in that case, be sustained.”
“The plaintiff’s motion to strike out defendant’s said answer will be sustained”
“The motion to tax the costs of this preliminary hearing against the defendant is therefore denied”
“The demurrer to each of the indictments against Birdsall must therefore be sustained”
“The discharge is therefore granted at the costs of the objecting creditors.”
“his refusal as referee, to so require in any case, is not the subject of a petition for review”
“the order of the referee rejecting the claim will be reversed, and the matter referred back to him”
“The proceeds of the mortgaged property arising from the sale thereof by the sheriff should be excluded from the amount upon which the referee may compute his commissions, and the amount actually disbursed by the trustee to creditors will form the basis of such computation.”
“The order of the referee, upon the issues and facts shown by his certificate, is approved.”
“It follows that the order of the referee must be approved, and it is so ordered.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No case-level docket record assigned under Reed's name was returned for his tenure. The profile therefore makes no claim about his complete caseload mix, case duration, administrative dispositions, or motion timing.
A historical record
Judge Reed no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.