Robert Peckham

Robert Francis Peckham (November 3, 1920 – February 16, 1993) was a United States federal judge.

Born in San Francisco, California, Peckham attended Yale University and received an A.B. from Stanford University in 1941 and an LL.B. from Stanford Law School in 1945. He was in private practice in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale, California from 1946 to 1948. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of California from 1948 to 1953. He was a Chief assistant, Criminal Division from 1952 to 1953. He was in private practice in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale, California from 1953 to 1959. He was a judge on the Superior Court, Santa Clara County, California from 1959 to 1966. He was a Presiding judge from 1961 to 1963 and from 1965 to 1966.

In 1966, Peckham was appointed as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Peckham was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 9, 1966, to a new seat created by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 20, 1966, and received his commission on November 3, 1966. He served as chief judge from 1976-1988. He assumed senior status on November 11, 1988. Peckham served in that capacity until his death in San Francisco. Peckham presided over a number of high-publicity cases, including the desegregation of the San Francisco Police Department and the use of I.Q. testing in California schools.

In 1990, the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building Courthouse in San Jose was named in his honor.