William Nelson Goodwin
Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and confirmed by voice vote, William Nelson Goodwin was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. He earned a law degree from University of Oregon School of Law in 1934. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1909–1975
- Appointed by
- Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Washington State College 1931 · University of Oregon Law 1934
- Succeeded by
- Jack Edward Tanner
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Eastern District of Washington | L.B. Johnson (D) | Voice vote |
| 1966 | Western District of Washington | L.B. Johnson (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
| Washington State College | B.A. | 1931 |
| University of Oregon School of Law | LL.B. | 1934 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Goodwin authored 7 published opinions for the court (1967–1975). Most cited: Maxey v. Washington State Democratic Committee (25 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Maxey v. Washington State Democratic Committee | 319 F. Supp. 673 | 25 |
| 1970 | Durning v. ITT Rayonier Incorporated | 325 F. Supp. 446 | 17 |
| 1970 | Dahl v. Republican State Committee | 319 F. Supp. 682 | 15 |
| 1975 | Anderson, Clayton & Co. v. Washington State Department of Agriculture | 402 F. Supp. 1253 | 6 |
| 1967 | Rayonier Incorporated v. Georgia-Pacific Corporation | 281 F. Supp. 687 | 4 |
| 1972 | Purvis v. United States | 344 F. Supp. 785 | 3 |
| 1969 | Walt Disney Productions v. Alaska Television Network, Inc. | 310 F. Supp. 1073 | 1 |
Showing the 7 most-cited of 7 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 Nelson Goodwin?
- President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed William Nelson Goodwin to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in 1966.
- Was William Nelson Goodwin appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Nelson Goodwin was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William Nelson Goodwin's confirmation vote?
- William Nelson Goodwin was confirmed by voice vote on April 21, 1966. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William Nelson Goodwin on?
- William Nelson Goodwin was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
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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9 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).