Northern District of California / Appointed 1974 / Served to 2003

William Horsley Orrick Jr.

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Appointed by President Richard M. Nixon in 1974 and confirmed by voice vote, William Horsley Orrick Jr. was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He earned a law degree from University of California, Berkeley, School of Jurisprudence in 1941. Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, June 21, 1974

Appointed by
Richard M. Nixon, 1974
Confirmed
by voice vote
Education
Yale 1937 · University of California, Berkeley, School of Jurisprudence 1941
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1974Northern District of California · succeeded William Thomas SweigertNixon (R)voice

A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Education
Sources

29 years on the Northern District of California. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).