William Trulock Beeks
Appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and confirmed by voice vote, William Trulock Beeks was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. He earned a law degree from University of Washington School of Law in 1932. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1906–1988
- Appointed by
- John F. Kennedy, 1961
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Washington Law 1932
- Succeeded
- John Clyde Bowen
- Succeeded by
- Donald S. Voorhees
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Western District of Washington succeeded John Clyde Bowen | 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, Beeks authored 89 published opinions for the court (1962–1984). Most cited: Grand Bahama Petroleum Co. v. Canadian Transportation Agencies, Ltd. (36 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 | Grand Bahama Petroleum Co. v. Canadian Transportation Agencies, Ltd. | 450 F. Supp. 447 | 36 |
| 1972 | Lathan v. Volpe | 350 F. Supp. 262 | 32 |
| 1976 | Matsushita Electric Corp. v. S. S. Aegis Spirit | 414 F. Supp. 894 | 26 |
| 1972 | Brooks v. Volpe | 350 F. Supp. 269 | 26 |
| 1972 | Daly v. Volpe | 350 F. Supp. 252 | 24 |
| 1970 | Brooks v. Volpe | 319 F. Supp. 90 | 24 |
| 1975 | Berkeley v. Fireman's Fund Insurance | 407 F. Supp. 960 | 17 |
| 1975 | Buchalski v. Universal Marine Corporation | 393 F. Supp. 246 | 16 |
| 1977 | Sea-Land Service, Inc. v. Eagle Terminal Tankers, Inc. | 443 F. Supp. 532 | 15 |
| 1983 | Ferrous Financial Services Co. v. O/S ARCTIC PRODUCER | 567 F. Supp. 400 | 14 |
| 1978 | Lake Union Drydock Co. v. M/V Polar Viking | 446 F. Supp. 1286 | 14 |
| 1975 | Solsvik v. Maremar Compania Naviera, S.A. | 399 F. Supp. 712 | 14 |
| 1983 | Pedersen Fisheries, Inc. v. Patti Industries, Inc. | 563 F. Supp. 72 | 11 |
| 1974 | Pacific Shrimp Co. v. United States, Department of Transportation | 375 F. Supp. 1036 | 11 |
| 1979 | Sea Quest Marine, Inc. v. Cove Shipping, Inc. | 474 F. Supp. 164 | 10 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 89 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 William Trulock Beeks?
- President John F. Kennedy appointed William Trulock Beeks to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in 1961.
- Was William Trulock Beeks appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Trulock Beeks was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William Trulock Beeks's confirmation vote?
- William Trulock Beeks was confirmed by voice vote on August 15, 1961. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William Trulock Beeks on?
- William Trulock Beeks was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Administrative Office of the United States Courts (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
27 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).