Ninth Circuit / Appointed 1979 / Senior status
Dorothy Wright Nelson
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and confirmed by voice vote, Dorothy Wright Nelson is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She earned a law degree from University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 1953. Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, December 19, 1979
- Appointed by
- Jimmy Carter, 1979
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of California, Los Angeles 1950 · University of California, Los Angeles, Law 1953
- Succeeded by
- Sidney Runyan Thomas
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Ninth Circuit | Carter (D) | voice |
A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.
Education
| University of California, Los Angeles | A.B. | 1950 |
| University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law | J.D. | 1953 |
| University of Southern California Law School (now Gould School of Law) | LL.M. | 1956 |
Sources
46 years on the Ninth Circuit. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).