William Daniel Murray
Appointed by President Harry S Truman in 1949 and confirmed by voice vote, William Daniel Murray was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. He earned a law degree from University of Montana School of Law in 1936. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1908–1994
- Appointed by
- Harry S Truman, 1949
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Chief judge
- District of Montana, 1957 to 1965
- Education
- Georgetown College (now Georgetown) 1932 · University of Montana Law 1936
- Succeeded
- Robert Lewis Brown Sr.
- Succeeded by
- Russell Evans Smith
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | District of Montana succeeded Robert Lewis Brown Sr. chief judge 1957 to 1965 | 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
| Columbia University | ||
| Georgetown College (now Georgetown University) | B.S. | 1932 |
| University of Montana School of Law | LL.B. | 1936 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| U.S. Naval Reserve lieutenant | 1942-1945 |
| Private practice, Butte, Montana | 1936-1949 |
| Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Montana | 1938-1942 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Murray authored 41 published opinions for the court (1952–1987). Most cited: Duffy v. Lipsman-Fulkerson & Co. (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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Duffy v. Lipsman-Fulkerson & Co. | 200 F. Supp. 71 | 38 |
| 1978 | McGee v. Riekhof | 442 F. Supp. 1276 | 36 |
| 1987 | Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. First Security Bank of Bozeman | 662 F. Supp. 1126 | 30 |
| 1981 | Stillwater Condominium Ass'n v. American Home Assurance Co. | 508 F. Supp. 1075 | 30 |
| 1968 | Wayrynen Funeral Home, Inc. v. JG Link & Company | 279 F. Supp. 803 | 29 |
| 1980 | Montana Wilderness Ass'n v. United States Forest Service | 496 F. Supp. 880 | 27 |
| 1968 | Schenk v. Ellsworth | 293 F. Supp. 26 | 27 |
| 1972 | Moran v. School District 7, Yellowstone County | 350 F. Supp. 1180 | 24 |
| 1980 | Much v. Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. | 502 F. Supp. 743 | 19 |
| 1958 | BUTTE MINERS'UNION NO. 1 v. Anaconda Company | 159 F. Supp. 431 | 19 |
| 1963 | Dutton v. Hightower and Lubrecht Construction Co. | 214 F. Supp. 298 | 18 |
| 1958 | Professional & Business Men's Life Insurance v. Bankers Life Co. | 163 F. Supp. 274 | 18 |
| 1963 | Application of Tomich | 221 F. Supp. 500 | 17 |
| 1981 | Bayers v. Omni Aviation Managers, Inc. | 510 F. Supp. 1204 | 14 |
| 1961 | Hilber v. Ribicoff | 196 F. Supp. 460 | 13 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 41 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 Daniel Murray?
- President Harry S Truman appointed William Daniel Murray to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana in 1949.
- Was William Daniel Murray appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Daniel Murray 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 Daniel Murray's confirmation vote?
- William Daniel Murray was confirmed by voice vote on May 4, 1949. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William Daniel Murray on?
- William Daniel Murray was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.
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.
45 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).