Caffrey received a
recess appointment from President
Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 13, 1960, to a seat on the
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated by Judge
William T. McCarthy. He was nominated to the same position by President Eisenhower on January 10, 1961. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on August 9, 1961, and received his commission from President
John F. Kennedy on August 16, 1961. He served as Chief Judge from 1972 to 1986. He was a member of the
Judicial Conference of the United States from 1973 to 1979. He was a member of the
Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation from 1975 to 1990, serving as chair of that panel from 1980 to 1990. He assumed
senior status on October 17, 1986. His service terminated on October 6, 1993, due to his death in
West Palm Beach,
Florida. ==References==