William Percival Gray
Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and confirmed by voice vote, William Percival Gray was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1939. He previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1912–1992
- Appointed by
- Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of California, Los Angeles 1934 · Harvard Law School 1939
- Succeeded by
- Pamela Ann Rymer
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Southern District of California succeeded Harry Clay Westover | L.B. Johnson (D) | Voice vote |
| 1966 | Central District of California | Reassigned | – |
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
| University of California, Los Angeles | A.B. | 1934 |
| Harvard Law School | LL.B. | 1939 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Gray authored 46 published opinions for the court (1966–1990). Most cited: Dillard v. Pitchess (38 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Dillard v. Pitchess | 399 F. Supp. 1225 | 38 |
| 1973 | United States v. Urquidez | 356 F. Supp. 1363 | 28 |
| 1978 | Rutherford v. Pitchess | 457 F. Supp. 104 | 22 |
| 1980 | Lederman v. Pacific Mutual Life Insurance | 494 F. Supp. 1020 | 19 |
| 1978 | Stewart v. Gates | 450 F. Supp. 583 | 19 |
| 1970 | PUREX CORPORATION, LTD. v. General Foods Corporation | 318 F. Supp. 322 | 18 |
| 1980 | California Paralyzed Veterans Ass'n v. Federal Communications Commission | 496 F. Supp. 125 | 16 |
| 1975 | United States v. One 1974 Mercury Cougar XR 7, Vin: 4A93H586720, License No. 220 LJE | 397 F. Supp. 1325 | 16 |
| 1966 | United States v. Vibradamp Corporation | 257 F. Supp. 931 | 16 |
| 1977 | Phonetele, Inc. v. American Telephone & Telegraph Co. | 435 F. Supp. 207 | 15 |
| 1971 | In Re Grand Jury Subpoena for Verplank | 329 F. Supp. 433 | 15 |
| 1980 | In Re Coordinated Pretrial Proceedings in Petroleum Products Antitrust Litigation | 497 F. Supp. 218 | 14 |
| 1974 | Bradley v. JUDGES OF SUPERIOR CT. FOR CTY. OF LOS ANGELES | 372 F. Supp. 26 | 11 |
| 1972 | United States v. Vasquez | 348 F. Supp. 532 | 10 |
| 1966 | Lee v. United States | 261 F. Supp. 252 | 10 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 46 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 Percival Gray?
- President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed William Percival Gray to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in 1966.
- Was William Percival Gray appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Percival Gray 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 Percival Gray's confirmation vote?
- William Percival Gray was confirmed by voice vote on June 29, 1966. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William Percival Gray on?
- William Percival Gray was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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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25 years on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).