William F. Nielsen
William Fremming Nielsen (born 1934) is an American jurist He assumed inactive senior status (semi-retired federal judgeship allowing reduced caseload) on May 30, 2003, and no longer actively serves on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. 1 He was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1991. 1 He served as chief judge of the court from 1995 to 2000. 1
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Court | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington 1 |
| Appointed by | George H.W. Bush 1 |
| Confirmed | May 9, 1991 (voice vote) 1 |
| Senior status | May 30, 2003 1 |
| Born | 1934, Seattle, Washington 1 |
| Education | B.A., University of Washington, 1956; LL.B., University of Washington School of Law, 1962 1 |
Early life and education
Nielsen was born in 1934 in Seattle, Washington. 1 He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1956 and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Washington School of Law in 1962. 1
Legal career
Nielsen served in the United States Air Force as a first lieutenant from 1956 to 1959. 1 After law school, he clerked for Judge Charles L. Powell of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington from 1963 to 1964. 1 He then engaged in private practice in Spokane, Washington, from 1964 until his appointment to the federal bench in 1991. 1
Federal judicial service
President George H.W. Bush nominated Nielsen to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington on March 21, 1991. 1 The Senate confirmed him by voice vote on May 9, 1991, and he received his commission on May 14, 1991. 1 He served as chief judge of the district from 1995 to 2000. 1 He assumed senior status on May 30, 2003. 1
Notable cases
Nielsen authored 22 published opinions for the Eastern District of Washington between 1992 and 2007, according to a compilation of published opinions in the CourtListener corpus. 2 His most-cited opinion in that compilation was Auvil v. CBS, which drew 42 inbound citations across the corpus. 2
The same compilation reports that 50 of Nielsen's decisions were reviewed on the merits by the United States courts of appeals, of which 40 were affirmed, 8 were reversed or vacated, and 2 were affirmed in part and reversed in part. 2 The compilation notes that this is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases it could match, not a judgment of the judge and not a complete record. 2
References
- Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, Federal Judicial Center
- William Fremming Nielsen, JudicialFinder
Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Sep 29, 2026; Oct 25, 2026
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