Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach
Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 and confirmed by voice vote, Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. He earned a law degree from University of Washington School of Law in 1917. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1894–1948
- Appointed by
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1940
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Washington Law 1917
- Succeeded
- John Stanley Webster
- Succeeded by
- Samuel Marion Driver
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Eastern District of Washington succeeded John Stanley Webster | F.D. Roosevelt (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, Schwellenbach authored 20 published opinions for the court (1941–1945). Most cited: Holden v. American News Co. (26 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Holden v. American News Co. | 52 F. Supp. 24 | 26 |
| 1945 | Inland Motor Freight v. United States | 60 F. Supp. 520 | 18 |
| 1942 | Voigt v. Webb | 47 F. Supp. 743 | 17 |
| 1942 | Seattle-First Nat. Bank v. United States | 44 F. Supp. 603 | 14 |
| 1941 | United States v. Big Bend Transit Co. | 42 F. Supp. 459 | 11 |
| 1944 | Midstate Amusement Corporation v. Rivers | 54 F. Supp. 738 | 10 |
| 1943 | Bowles v. Inland Empire Dairy Ass'n | 53 F. Supp. 210 | 10 |
| 1943 | United States v. Hillyard | 52 F. Supp. 612 | 10 |
| 1943 | In Re Beecher | 50 F. Supp. 530 | 9 |
| 1941 | Totus v. United States | 39 F. Supp. 7 | 9 |
| 1942 | United States v. Commercial Creamery Co. | 43 F. Supp. 714 | 8 |
| 1941 | United States v. Thompson | 41 F. Supp. 13 | 7 |
| 1941 | Hinkley v. Penn Mut. Life Ins. Co. of Philadelphia | 37 F. Supp. 1018 | 7 |
| 1942 | Guaranty Trust Co. v. United States | 44 F. Supp. 417 | 6 |
| 1942 | Grismer v. Merger Mines Corporation | 43 F. Supp. 990 | 6 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 20 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 Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach?
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in 1940.
- Was Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach's confirmation vote?
- Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach was confirmed by voice vote on May 6, 1940. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach on?
- Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Harris & Ewing, photographer (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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4 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).