William Fell Giles
How Judge Giles rules, drawn from 20 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Giles no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Giles decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Dugan, Giles treated operational control and agency—not record title alone—as decisive when assigning liability for vessel repairs.
“The legal and record title does not of itself decide the question of liability for supplies or repairs to a registered vessel.”
In the later Howard decision, Giles required a transferee seeking priority over earlier equities to show value or another present legal detriment given for the paper.
“There must be some present consideration at the time of the transfer.”
In Kirkland, Giles treated the amended admiralty rule as remedial and therefore applicable to suits filed after adoption even when the repairs predated the change.
“the new rule applies to all libels in rem by material-men filed after the passage of the said rule, whether the repairs were made before or after its passage.”
Procedural preferences
In Wallis, Giles assessed admiralty jurisdiction by asking where the principal part of an indivisible transportation contract was performed.
“The contract is entire, and four-fifths of the distance this coal was carried was on a canal, clearly beyond the jurisdiction of this court.”
In Bowie, Giles declined to displace pending state proceedings when federal intervention would not preserve value for general creditors.
“when suits are pending in the state courts, and there is no suggestion of fraud, and nothing appears which requires the equitable interference of this court to prevent mischief or wrong to the general creditors, or a waste or misapplication of the assets, the parties may well be left to proceed with such suits”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Let an order be entered that the assignees pay to Andrew Beid, out of the money now in their hands, the sum of five thousand and seven dollars and ninety-eight cents”
“The jury returned a verdict of ‘Guilty’ upon the first count, as to the sum of $1,120;”
“upon the second count, as to $996.72;”
“upon the third count, as to $50;”
“and' upon the fourth count, as to $180.”
“Upon the fifth count, ‘Not guilty.’”
“I am of the opinion that the said claim of the lessor is a preferred claim.”
“that is to be paid as a part of the expenses of the custody, etc., of the bankrupts’ estate”
“when not otherwise objectionable, will be approved.”
“Por these reasons Judge GILES held that defendant was entitled to judgment”
“the said penalties could only be recovered by an action of debt on the common law side of the court, and not by libel;”
“I am of the opinion that he has, if there be (in the language of the law) ‘no opposing interest;’”
“I do not consider that in this case any allowance in money can be made by the as-signee to the bankrupt”
“I will sign a decree, dismissing the libel filed in this case, for want of jurisdiction.”
“can prove the amount of said notes (with the deduction of the forty per cent.) against both the private estate of Geo. W. Howard”
“and the partnership assets of Howard, Cole & Co., and receive dividends from both”
“I will therefore sign a decree dismissing the libel filed in this case.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No indexed assigned dockets were returned, so no sampled case mix is reported.
A historical record
Judge Giles no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.