John Alden Riner
Judge Riner no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Riner decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
He required congressional authorization before recognizing executive power to withdraw public lands from entry.
“such examination and consideration has led to the conclusion that the power did not exist, in the absence of congressional legislation authorizing it.”
He treated the validity of a mineral discovery as a fact-specific inquiry tied to local conditions and the evidence in the particular case.
“It is always, in every case, a question of fact, to be determined by the court or jury, as the case may be, whether a discovery has been made or exists within the limits of the claim or location in controversy.”
Procedural preferences
He rejected shareholder participation requests filed too late in a long-running equity case.
“The delay must, I think, be held to be fatal.”
Cautions
He would not invalidate bonds or adjudicate their validity without the bondholders before the court.
“how the court could render a decree declaring the bgmds invalid in the absence of their owners is difficult to understand.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“A decree will be entered sustaining the motion and dismissing the bill, with an exception allowed to the plaintiff.”
“The objections to the applications for leave to file the ‘joinder of Charles Ilall Davis in the bill of complaint,’ and of Joseph W. Seward and others and of E. W. Albee and others to intervene, will have to be sustained, for the reason that all of these applications, in the opinion of the court, come too late.”
“A decree will he entered foreclosing the trust deed as prayed in the cross-bill, with this additional provision:”
“I think the. lessors of the defendant the Ohio Oil Company made a sufficient discovery of oil on the claims in controversy to entitle them to make valid locations of the same as placer, claims.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The three located decisions concern public-land withdrawals, corporate and secured-creditor disputes, and oil-placer claims. They do not establish the distribution of Riner's full caseload.
A historical record
Judge Riner 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.