Law, politics, and the judiciary : oral history transcript : the honorable Spencer M. Williams / 2002

334 Pages·2002·9.8 MB·English

by  Williams, Spencer M. ive

UniversityofCalifornia
Berkeley

Regional Oral History Office University ofCalifornia
The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California
Northern California U.S. DistrictCourt Oral History Series
Spencer M. Williams
LAW, POLITICS, AND THE JUDICIARY: THE HONORABLE SPENCER M. WILLIAMS
With an Introduction by
James M. Wagstaffe
Interviews Conducted by
Carole Hicke
in 1992, 1998, 2000, and 2001
Copyright 2002 by The Regents ofthe University ofCalifornia
Since 1954theRegionalOralHistoryOfficehasbeeninterviewingleadingparticipantsinorwell-placed
witnesses to major events in the development ofNorthern California, the West, and the Nation. Oral
history is a method ofcollecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a
narratorwithfirsthandknowledgeofhistoricallysignificanteventsandawell-informedinterviewer,with
the goal ofpreserving substantive additions to thehistorical record. The tape recording is transcribed,
lightlyedited forcontinuity and clarity, andreviewedbythe interviewee. The correctedmanuscript is
indexed, bound withphotographs and illustrative materials, andplaced in The Bancroft Library at the
University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is
primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of
events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee inresponse to questioning, and as such it is
reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable.
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All uses ofthis manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The
Regents oftheUniversityofCaliforniaand SpencerM. Williams datedMay 1 1, 2001.
The manuscript istherebymade available forresearchpurposes. All literaryrights in
the manuscript, includingtherighttopublish, arereserved toThe Bancroft Libraryof
the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley. No part ofthe manuscript may be quoted for
publication without the writtenpermissionofthe Director ofThe Bancroft Library of
the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley.
Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the
Regional Oral HistoryOffice, 486 Library, University ofCalifornia, Berkeley 94720,
and should include identification ofthe specificpassages tobequoted, anticipateduse
ofthe passages, and identification ofthe user. The legal agreement with Spencer M.
Williamsrequiresthathebenotifiedoftherequestandallowedthirtydaysinwhichto
respond.
It isrecommended thatthis oral historybe cited as follows:
Spencer M. Williams, "Law, Politics, and the
Judiciary: The Honorable SpencerM. Williams," an
oral history conducted in 1992, 1998, 2000, and
2001 by Carole Hicke, Regional Oral History
Office, The Bancroft Library, Universityof
California, Berkeley, 2002.
Copyno.
Spencer and Kay Williams, Athabasca Glaciar, Canadian Rockies, 2000.

Cataloging information:
WILLIAMS, Spencer M. (b. 1922) Federaljudge
Law, Politics, andtheJudiciary: TheHonorable SpencerM. Williams, viii, 277 pp., 2002
Naval service in Pacific in WWII; County Counsel office, Santa Clara County; Secretary ofHuman
Relations Agency underGovernorRonald Reagan; lawpractice in San Jose and Sacramento; significant
cases: William Inglis, draft dodging cases, asbestos cases, Dalkon Shield, ARCO, Berkeley bomber, L.A.
Raiders; trial law practice; court administration and techniques; formation and goals of Federal Judges
Association.
Interviewed in 1992, 1998, 2000, and 2001 by Carole Hicke, Regional Oral History Office, The
Bancroft Library, University ofCalifornia, Berkeley.