William A. Fletcher
Appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1998 and confirmed by the Senate 57–41, William A. Fletcher is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He earned a law degree from Yale Law School in 1975. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1945 · age 81
- Appointed by
- William J. Clinton, 1998
- Confirmed
- 57–41
- Education
- Harvard College 1968 · Yale Law School 1975
- Succeeded
- William Albert Norris
- Succeeded by
- Holly Aiyisha Thomas
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Ninth Circuit succeeded William Albert Norris | Clinton (D) | 57–41 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 57–41 on October 8, 1998 · 105th Congress, Roll Call 309. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 57
43 D, 14 R
- Daniel Akaka(D-HI)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Robert Bennett(R-UT)
- Joe Biden(D-DE)
- Jeff Bingaman(D-NM)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- John Breaux(D-LA)
- Richard Bryan(D-NV)
- Dale Bumpers(D-AR)
- Robert Byrd(D-WV)
- John Chafee(R-RI)
- Max Cleland(D-GA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Kent Conrad(D-ND)
- Alfonse D'Amato(R-NY)
- Thomas Daschle(D-SD)
- Christopher Dodd(D-CT)
- Pete Domenici(R-NM)
- Byron Dorgan(D-ND)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Russell Feingold(D-WI)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Wendell Ford(D-KY)
- Slade Gorton(R-WA)
- Bob Graham(D-FL)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Daniel Inouye(D-HI)
- James Jeffords(R-VT)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Edward Kennedy(D-MA)
- Bob Kerrey(D-NE)
- John Kerry(D-MA)
- Herb Kohl(D-WI)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Lieberman(D-CT)
- Richard Lugar(R-IN)
- Connie Mack(R-FL)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Carol Moseley-Braun(D-IL)
- Daniel Moynihan(D-NY)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- Charles Robb(D-VA)
- John Rockefeller(D-WV)
- William Roth(R-DE)
- Paul Sarbanes(D-MD)
- Gordon Smith(R-OR)
- Arlen Specter(R-PA)
- Ted Stevens(R-AK)
- Robert Torricelli(D-NJ)
- Paul Wellstone(D-MN)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 41
41 R
- Spencer Abraham(R-MI)
- Wayne Allard(R-CO)
- John Ashcroft(R-MO)
- Christopher Bond(R-MO)
- Sam Brownback(R-KS)
- Conrad Burns(R-MT)
- Ben Campbell(R-CO)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Paul Coverdell(R-GA)
- Larry Craig(R-ID)
- Mike DeWine(R-OH)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Lauch Faircloth(R-NC)
- Bill Frist(R-TN)
- Phil Gramm(R-TX)
- Rod Grams(R-MN)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Judd Gregg(R-NH)
- Chuck Hagel(R-NE)
- Jesse Helms(R-NC)
- Tim Hutchinson(R-AR)
- Kay Hutchison(R-TX)
- James Inhofe(R-OK)
- Dirk Kempthorne(R-ID)
- Jon Kyl(R-AZ)
- Trent Lott(R-MS)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Frank Murkowski(R-AK)
- Don Nickles(R-OK)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Rick Santorum(R-PA)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Bob Smith(R-NH)
- Olympia Snowe(R-ME)
- Craig Thomas(R-WY)
- Fred Thompson(R-TN)
- Strom Thurmond(R-SC)
- John Warner(R-VA)
Did not vote · 2
2 D
- John Glenn(D-OH)
- Ernest Hollings(D-SC)
Education
| Harvard College | B.A. | 1968 |
| University of Oxford | B.A. | 1970 |
| Yale Law School | J.D. | 1975 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| U.S. Navy lieutenant | 1970-1972 |
| Law clerk, Hon. Stanley A. Weigel, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | 1975-1976 |
| Law clerk, Hon. William J. Brennan, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States | 1976-1977 |
| Professor of law, University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law | 1977-1998 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed William A. Fletcher?
- President William J. Clinton appointed William A. Fletcher to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1998.
- Was William A. Fletcher appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William A. Fletcher was appointed by President William J. Clinton, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William A. Fletcher's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed William A. Fletcher 57–41 on October 8, 1998.
- Which court is William A. Fletcher on?
- William A. Fletcher is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
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. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).