William F. Riley
Appointed by President Harry S Truman in 1950 and confirmed by voice vote, William F. Riley was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1884–1956
- Appointed by
- Harry S Truman, 1950
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State) 1884
- Succeeded
- Carroll O. Switzer
- Succeeded by
- Edwin Richley Hicklin
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Southern District of Iowa succeeded Carroll O. Switzer | Truman (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
| Read law | ||
| Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) | A.B. | 1884 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Riley authored 11 published opinions for the court (1951–1994). Most cited: Lange v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R. (20 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Lange v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R. | 99 F. Supp. 1 | 20 |
| 1994 | Chicago & N. W. Ry. Co. v. Davenport | 95 F. Supp. 469 | 13 |
| 1954 | Emery v. Chicago, B. & Q. R. Co. | 119 F. Supp. 654 | 12 |
| 1951 | Linscott v. Linscott | 98 F. Supp. 802 | 12 |
| 1974 | Herzog v. Central Steel Tube Co. | 98 F. Supp. 607 | 9 |
| 1953 | United States v. Henderson | 121 F. Supp. 343 | 9 |
| 1953 | Fremon v. W. A. Sheaffer Pen Co. | 111 F. Supp. 39 | 7 |
| 1955 | Abramson v. United States | 133 F. Supp. 677 | 5 |
| 1954 | American Universal Insurance v. Scherfe Insurance Agency | 135 F. Supp. 407 | 3 |
| 1951 | Petsel v. Chicago, B. & QR Co. | 101 F. Supp. 1006 | 3 |
| 1951 | Lehman v. Napier | 101 F. Supp. 313 | 0 |
Showing the 11 most-cited of 11 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 F. Riley?
- President Harry S Truman appointed William F. Riley to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in 1950.
- Was William F. Riley appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William F. Riley was appointed by President Harry S Truman, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William F. Riley's confirmation vote?
- William F. Riley was confirmed by voice vote on December 14, 1950. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William F. Riley on?
- William F. Riley was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
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
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
6 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).