William Horsley Orrick, Jr.

William Horsley Orrick Jr. (October 10, 1915 – August 14, 2003) was an American attorney and judge. He served as a United States district judge for United States District Court for the Northern District of California. From 1963 to 1965, he served as Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division.

Early life and education Orrick was born on October 10, 1915, in San Francisco, California, to William Horsley Orrick Sr. He had a brother, Andrew Downey Orrick, who would become acting Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in San Francisco. He attended The Thacher School and Hotchkiss School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College in 1937, where he was a member of the Skull and Bones Society. He attended Stanford Graduate School of Business from January to June 1938. He was in private practice of law in San Francisco from 1965 to 1974.

Federal judicial service On May 31, 1974, Orrick was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California vacated by Judge William Thomas Sweigert. Orrick was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 21, 1974, and received his commission on July 8, 1974. He was the judge in the Patty Hearst sentencing in 1976. He assumed senior status on October 31, 1985, serving in that status until his death. Orrick died on August 14, 2003, in San Francisco.