William Steele Sessions
Appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1974 and confirmed by voice vote, William Steele Sessions was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He earned a law degree from Baylor University School of Law in 1958. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1930–2020
- Appointed by
- Gerald Ford, 1974
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Baylor 1956 · Baylor Law 1958
- Succeeded
- Ernest Allen Guinn
- Succeeded by
- Emilio M. Garza
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Western District of Texas succeeded Ernest Allen Guinn | Ford (R) | 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
| Baylor University | B.A. | 1956 |
| Baylor University School of Law | LL.B. | 1958 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Sessions authored 16 published opinions for the court (1976–1987). Most cited: Schuchart & Associates, Professional Engineers, Inc. v. Solo Serve Corp. (35 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A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Schuchart & Associates, Professional Engineers, Inc. v. Solo Serve Corp. | 540 F. Supp. 928 | 35 |
| 1977 | Kingery v. Continental Oil Co. | 434 F. Supp. 349 | 13 |
| 1986 | United States v. Chagra | 638 F. Supp. 1389 | 11 |
| 1977 | Puentes v. Sullivan | 425 F. Supp. 249 | 11 |
| 1982 | Matter of Marriage of Smith | 549 F. Supp. 761 | 9 |
| 1987 | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. American Federation of Government Employees Local 1617 | 657 F. Supp. 742 | 6 |
| 1986 | Giesecke v. United States | 637 F. Supp. 309 | 6 |
| 1981 | Devonish v. Garza | 510 F. Supp. 658 | 5 |
| 1976 | Alvarado v. El Paso Independent School District | 426 F. Supp. 575 | 5 |
| 1985 | United States v. Lamp | 606 F. Supp. 193 | 4 |
| 1986 | Polisoto v. Weinberger | 638 F. Supp. 1353 | 3 |
| 1985 | In Re Class Action Application for Habeas Corpus | 612 F. Supp. 940 | 3 |
| 1984 | In Re Steinbrecher on Behalf of Meeks | 599 F. Supp. 87 | 2 |
| 1983 | Munoz v. Orr | 559 F. Supp. 1017 | 2 |
| 1981 | Daubert v. United States | 533 F. Supp. 66 | 0 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 16 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 Steele Sessions?
- President Gerald Ford appointed William Steele Sessions to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in 1974.
- Was William Steele Sessions appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Steele Sessions was appointed by President Gerald Ford, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William Steele Sessions's confirmation vote?
- William Steele Sessions was confirmed by voice vote on December 19, 1974. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was William Steele Sessions on?
- William Steele Sessions was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: FBI (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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12 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).