Walter Maximillian Bastian (November 16, 1891 – March 12, 1975) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. courts of appeals, ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a United States district court, federal district court in Washington, D.C. Along with the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and ...

Education and career

Born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, Bastian received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

Georgetown Law Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment, with over ...

in 1913. He served as a first lieutenant in chemical warfare service of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was in private practice in Washington, D.C., from 1915 to 1950. He was a lecturer at the

National University School of Law National University School of Law was an American law school founded in Washington, D.C. in 1869. Originally intended as part of a larger design for a national university in the United States, the school was the principal component of National Univ ...

from 1918 to 1948.

Federal judicial service

Bastian received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the President of the United States, president of a Officer of the United States, federal official when the United States Senate, U.S. Senate is in Recess (motion), recess. Under the ...

from President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

on October 23, 1950, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Jennings Bailey Thomas Jennings Bailey (June 6, 1867 – January 9, 1963) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Early life Born in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the son of Elizabeth Margaret Lusk an ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Truman on November 27, 1950. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on December 14, 1950, and received his commission on December 22, 1950. His service terminated on December 15, 1954, due to his elevation to the District of Columbia Circuit. Bastian received a

from President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

on September 20, 1954, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Bennett Champ Clark Joel Bennett Clark (January 8, 1890 – July 13, 1954), better known as Bennett Champ Clark, was a Democratic United States senator from Missouri from 1933 until 1945, and was later a circuit judge of the District of Columbia Circuit. He was ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Eisenhower on November 8, 1954. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 2, 1954, and received his commission the next day. He assumed senior status on March 16, 1965. His service terminated on March 12, 1975, due to his death.

Other service

Bastian served as president of the board of directors of the

National Conference on Citizenship The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening civic life in America. They pursue their mission through a nationwide network of partners involved in a Civic Health Initiative, ...

in 1960.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bastian, Walter M. 1891 births 1975 deaths Georgetown University Law Center alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower United States Army officers