Walter Edward Hoffman
Appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954 and confirmed by voice vote, Walter Edward Hoffman was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He earned a law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1931. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1907–1996
- Appointed by
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Pennsylvania 1928 · Washington and Lee Law 1931
- Succeeded by
- Joseph Calvitt Clarke Jr.
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Eastern District of Virginia | Eisenhower (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
| William and Mary Law School | ||
| University of Pennsylvania | B.S. | 1928 |
| Washington and Lee University School of Law | LL.B. | 1931 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Hoffman was assigned 63 district-court cases (1986–1994). Median time from filing to termination: 160 days across 63 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
In our data, Hoffman authored 190 published opinions for the court (1955–1994). Most cited: James v. Almond (50 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | James v. Almond | 170 F. Supp. 331 | 50 |
| 1960 | Wiggins v. 1100 Tons, More or Less, of Italian Marble | 186 F. Supp. 452 | 35 |
| 1960 | Holley v. Steamship the Manfred Stansfield | 186 F. Supp. 805 | 31 |
| 1961 | Matthews v. Allstate Insurance Company | 194 F. Supp. 459 | 30 |
| 1966 | Lauritzen v. Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District | 259 F. Supp. 633 | 28 |
| 1960 | Holley v. the Steamship Manfred Stansfield | 186 F. Supp. 212 | 28 |
| 1959 | Johns v. Smyth | 176 F. Supp. 949 | 28 |
| 1957 | Adkins v. School Board of the City of Newport News | 148 F. Supp. 430 | 28 |
| 1958 | Revel v. American Export Lines, Inc. | 162 F. Supp. 279 | 27 |
| 1958 | Smith & Welton, Inc. v. United States | 164 F. Supp. 605 | 26 |
| 1955 | Samad v. the Steamship Etivebank | 134 F. Supp. 530 | 26 |
| 1965 | Dixon v. Oosting | 238 F. Supp. 25 | 25 |
| 1958 | Avant v. United States | 165 F. Supp. 802 | 23 |
| 1987 | United States v. Allen | 666 F. Supp. 847 | 22 |
| 1960 | Brady v. the Steamship African Queen | 179 F. Supp. 321 | 22 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 190 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 Walter Edward Hoffman?
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Walter Edward Hoffman to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 1954.
- Was Walter Edward Hoffman appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Walter Edward Hoffman was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Walter Edward Hoffman's confirmation vote?
- Walter Edward Hoffman was confirmed by voice vote on July 14, 1954. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Walter Edward Hoffman on?
- Walter Edward Hoffman was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
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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42 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).