# Samuel Conti > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Samuel_Conti > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Samuel_Conti.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Conti > Source revision: 1351127682 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Samuel Conti** (July 16, 1922 – August 29, 2018) was an American jurist who was a [United States district judge](/source/United_States_federal_judge) of the [United States District Court for the Northern District of California](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Northern_District_of_California). He was appointed to the federal bench in 1970, and assumed [senior status](/source/Senior_status) in 1987. He continued to hear cases until 2015. ## Background Born on July 16, 1922, in Los Angeles, California, Conti received a Bachelor of Science degree from the [University of Santa Clara](/source/University_of_Santa_Clara) in 1945 after serving in the U.S. Army during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).[1] He received a [Bachelor of Laws](/source/Bachelor_of_Laws) from [Stanford Law School](/source/Stanford_Law_School) in 1948. ## Career He was in private practice in San Francisco, California from 1948 to 1967. He was Chairman of the [Civil Service Board of Appeals](/source/Civil_Service_Board_of_Appeals) in [Pittsburg](/source/Pittsburg,_California), California from 1956 to 1958. He was [city attorney](/source/City_attorney) of [Concord](/source/Concord,_California), California from 1960 to 1969. He was a judge of the [Contra Costa County Superior Court](/source/Contra_Costa_County_Superior_Court) from 1968 to 1970.[2] ### Federal judicial service Conti was nominated by President [Richard Nixon](/source/Richard_Nixon) on October 7, 1970, to the [United States District Court for the Northern District of California](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Northern_District_of_California), to a new seat created by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate) on October 13, 1970, and received his commission on October 16, 1970. He assumed [senior status](/source/Senior_status) on November 1, 1987.[2] Conti assumed inactive status on October 30, 2015, meaning that while he remained a federal judge, he no longer heard cases or participated in the business of the court.[3][4][5][6] Conti was a self-described [conservative](/source/Conservatism_in_the_United_States) known for his tough-on-crime views and ardent support of capital punishment, earning the nicknames "Hanging Sam" and "Slammin' Sam".[1][7] #### Notable cases In 1974, Conti sentenced [Nicholas Sand](/source/Nicholas_Sand) to fifteen years' imprisonment for operating a lab that manufactured [LSD](/source/LSD), and lamented that it was not a capital offense.[7] In 1976, he handed down a life sentence to [Sara Jane Moore](/source/Sara_Jane_Moore), who [attempted to assassinate](/source/Attempted_assassination_of_Gerald_Ford_in_San_Francisco) President [Gerald Ford](/source/Gerald_Ford) in San Francisco.[1][3] Between 1979–1980, Conti presided over a [racketeering](/source/Racketeering) trial involving of members of the [Hells Angels](/source/Hells_Angels). He and his family required protection by the [United States Marshals](/source/United_States_Marshals) due to threats he received.[4] Conti presided over a copyright infringement trial in 1988,[8] in which [John Fogerty](/source/John_Fogerty) was sued by his former label, [Fantasy Records](/source/Fantasy_Records), over his 1984 song "[The Old Man Down the Road](/source/The_Old_Man_Down_the_Road)", which they claimed infringed the copyright of his [Creedence Clearwater Revival](/source/Creedence_Clearwater_Revival) song "[Run Through the Jungle](/source/Run_Through_the_Jungle)".[1] Part of Fogerty's defense involved performing both songs in court for the jury, who found in his favor.[1] In 2008, Conti ruled that military veterans suing over delayed mental health treatment from the [United States Department of Veterans Affairs](/source/United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs) had no recourse in the courts for their complaint, because systemic error was not proven.[1] He suggested that he was unhappy to have reached that conclusion, and was privately disappointed when his ruling was upheld on appeal.[1] ## Personal life and death Conti was married to his wife, Dolores, for 66 years.[1] The couple had three children.[1] In retirement, Conti lived in [Carlsbad, California](/source/Carlsbad,_California), and died at home on August 29, 2018, at the age of 96.[1] ## See also - [List of United States federal judges by longevity of service](/source/List_of_United_States_federal_judges_by_longevity_of_service) ## References 1. Egelko, Bob (September 17, 2018). ["Judge who sentenced woman who tried to kill President Ford dies"](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Judge-who-sentenced-woman-who-tried-to-kill-13236416.php). *[San Francisco Chronicle](/source/San_Francisco_Chronicle)*. Retrieved September 25, 2025. 1. Mintz, Howard (October 1, 2015). ["Bay Area"s longest serving federal judge stepping down"](https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2015/10/01/bay-areas-longest-serving-federal-judge-stepping-down-2/). *Santa Cruz Sentinel*. Retrieved November 20, 2020. 1. Iovino, Nicholas (October 23, 2015). ["SF Federal Judge Samuel Conti, 93, Set to Retire"](http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/10/23/sf-federal-judge-samuel-conti-93-set-to-retire.htm). [Courthouse News Service](/source/Courthouse_News_Service). Retrieved November 13, 2015. 1. ["Northern District of California's Longest Serving Judge Retires"](http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ce9/view.php?pk_id=0000000765). *Ninth Circuit Public Information Office*. [United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit). November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015. 1. ["Senior Judge Samuel Conti, the Northern District's Longest-Serving Judge, Retires"](http://www.cand.uscourts.gov/news/193). [United States District Court for the Northern District of California](/source/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Northern_District_of_California). November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015. 1. Grimes, William (May 12, 2017). ["Nicholas Sand, Chemist Who Sought to Bring LSD to the World, Dies at 75"](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/us/nicholas-sand-chemist-who-sought-to-bring-lsd-to-the-world-dies-at-75.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved May 14, 2017. 1. Trex, Ethan (April 11, 2011). ["The Time John Fogerty Was Sued for Ripping Off John Fogerty"](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/27501/time-john-fogerty-was-sued-ripping-john-fogerty). *[Mental Floss](/source/Mental_Floss)*. Retrieved September 25, 2025. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Samuel Conti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Conti) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Conti?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.