Ross N. Sterling
Appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1976 and confirmed by voice vote, Ross N. Sterling was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He earned a law degree from University of Texas School of Law in 1957. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1931–1988
- Appointed by
- Gerald Ford, 1976
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Texas 1956 · University of Texas Law 1957
- Succeeded
- Allen Burroughs Hannay
- Succeeded by
- Simeon Timothy Lake III
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Southern District of Texas succeeded Allen Burroughs Hannay | Ford (R) | 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
| University of Texas | B.A. | 1956 |
| University of Texas School of Law | LL.B. | 1957 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Sterling authored 43 published opinions for the court (1977–1986). Most cited: Gray v. United States (37 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Gray v. United States | 445 F. Supp. 337 | 37 |
| 1979 | Friedrich v. Whittaker Corp. | 467 F. Supp. 1012 | 35 |
| 1980 | Zentgraf v. TEXAS a & M UNIVERSITY | 492 F. Supp. 265 | 29 |
| 1980 | Federal Life Insurance Co. v. First Financial Group of Texas, Inc. | 3 B.R. 375 | 27 |
| 1980 | In Re Foster Iron Works, Inc. | 3 B.R. 715 | 17 |
| 1983 | Cuevas v. Reading & Bates Corp. | 577 F. Supp. 462 | 14 |
| 1980 | Allan v. Brown & Root, Inc. | 491 F. Supp. 398 | 12 |
| 1984 | Van Ooteghem v. Gray | 584 F. Supp. 897 | 11 |
| 1980 | Tim W. Koerner & Associates, Inc. v. Aspen Labs, Inc. | 492 F. Supp. 294 | 11 |
| 1979 | Heiskala v. Johnson Space Center Federal Credit Union | 474 F. Supp. 448 | 11 |
| 1979 | United States v. Graham | 471 F. Supp. 123 | 11 |
| 1983 | DuPont v. Southern Nat. Bank of Houston, Texas | 575 F. Supp. 849 | 10 |
| 1978 | Woodson v. Califano | 455 F. Supp. 457 | 10 |
| 1979 | United States v. Martin | 480 F. Supp. 880 | 9 |
| 1979 | Hart v. University of Texas at Houston | 474 F. Supp. 465 | 9 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 43 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 Ross N. Sterling?
- President Gerald Ford appointed Ross N. Sterling to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in 1976.
- Was Ross N. Sterling appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Ross N. Sterling was appointed by President Gerald Ford, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Ross N. Sterling's confirmation vote?
- Ross N. Sterling was confirmed by voice vote on May 6, 1976. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Ross N. Sterling on?
- Ross N. Sterling was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern 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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11 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).