William Joseph Bauer

William Joseph Bauer (September 15, 1926 – December 15, 2025) was an American judge who was a senior circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago from 1974 until his death, having been nominated to the position by President Gerald Ford. He previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 1971 until 1975, having been nominated by President Richard Nixon. He was known for presiding over the Amoco Cadiz oil spill case.

Federal judicial service Bauer was nominated by President Richard Nixon on September 14, 1971, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois vacated by Judge Joseph Sam Perry. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 8, 1971, and received his commission on November 10, 1971.

He assumed senior status on October 31, 1994. He was a Member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1987 to 1993.

On September 30, 2022, at the age of 96, Bauer transitioned to inactive senior status on the Court of Appeals.

Personal life and legacy Bauer was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2010 in the area of Government & Law.

In 2013, Bauer married Patricia Spratt, an appellate litigator and a shareholder of the firm Shefsky & Froelich. She had previously clerked for Bauer in 1991 and 1992. In 2015, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Spratt to a vacant judgeship on the 7th subcircuit of the Cook County Circuit Court. She was elected to the judgeship in 2016, and won retention in 2022.

Bauer died in North Riverside, Illinois, on December 15, 2025, at the age of 99.