Adrian Anthony Spears
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and confirmed by voice vote, Adrian Anthony Spears was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He earned a law degree from University of South Carolina School of Law in 1934. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1910–1991
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1962
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of South Carolina Law 1934
- Succeeded by
- Harry Lee Hudspeth
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Western District of Texas | Kennedy (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
Judicial Record
In our data, Spears authored 45 published opinions for the court (1961–1982). Most cited: United States v. Braniff Airways, Inc. (46 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | United States v. Braniff Airways, Inc. | 428 F. Supp. 579 | 46 |
| 1970 | Wood Ex Rel. Wood v. Alamo Heights Independent School District | 308 F. Supp. 551 | 21 |
| 1965 | Sawyer v. Hauck | 245 F. Supp. 55 | 19 |
| 1973 | Sierra Club v. Lynn | 364 F. Supp. 834 | 18 |
| 1980 | Ramon v. Califano | 493 F. Supp. 158 | 16 |
| 1974 | Newman v. Shearson, Hammill & Co., Incorporated | 383 F. Supp. 265 | 15 |
| 1973 | United States v. Rangel | 365 F. Supp. 155 | 14 |
| 1973 | In Re the May 1972 San Antonio Grand Jury | 366 F. Supp. 522 | 13 |
| 1973 | United States v. Cotham | 363 F. Supp. 851 | 12 |
| 1961 | Delaney v. United Services Life Insurance Company | 201 F. Supp. 25 | 12 |
| 1977 | United States v. Green | 429 F. Supp. 1036 | 11 |
| 1979 | Stapper v. Texas Department of Human Resources | 470 F. Supp. 242 | 9 |
| 1976 | Gravitt v. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. | 416 F. Supp. 830 | 9 |
| 1970 | United States v. King | 321 F. Supp. 614 | 9 |
| 1979 | Melton v. Borg-Warner Corp. | 467 F. Supp. 983 | 8 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 45 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Adrian Anthony Spears?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed Adrian Anthony Spears to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in 1962.
- Was Adrian Anthony Spears appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Adrian Anthony Spears was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Adrian Anthony Spears's confirmation vote?
- Adrian Anthony Spears was confirmed by voice vote on March 16, 1962. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Adrian Anthony Spears on?
- Adrian Anthony Spears was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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20 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).