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Inhofe Praises Signing of Bill Naming Oklahoma Courthouse After William J. Holloway, Jr.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, praised the signing of S. 261 by the president yesterday, legislation that names the federal courthouse serving the Western District of Oklahoma after the late Judge William J. Holloway, Jr.

“I am pleased that the president has signed S. 261 to name the United States courthouse in Oklahoma City after Judge William J. Holloway, Jr.,” said Inhofe. “S. 261 honors Judge Holloway, the longest serving judge on the 10th Circuit, who authored over 900 opinions during his tenure. Judge Holloway, born in Hugo, Oklahoma, served in the Army during World War II, and was a graduate from the University of Oklahoma and Harvard University.  He was highly regarded by all who had the privilege of working with him, appeared before him, and knew him. Widely known for adhering to the highest of standards, Judge Holloway’s legacy is that he held up every decision against the facts of the case and the guidance of the Constitution."

Judge Holloway was born in Hugo, Okla., and his father was the eighth governor of the state of Oklahoma.  He served in the US Army during the height of World War II, received his law degree from Harvard University in 1950, and worked in private practice with a two year stint for the Department of Justice.  President Lyndon Johnson nominated Judge Holloway to the 10th Circuit in August 1968, and the Senate confirmed him on Sept. 13, 1968, where he served as chief judge from 1984 to 1991.  Judge Holloway assumed senior status in May 1992 and passed away April 25, 2014, in Oklahoma City.

Inhofe introduced S. 261 at the request of all the judges in the Western District and two Oklahomans serving on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The legislation designates the United States courthouse located at 200 NW 4th Street in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as the William J. Holloway, Jr. United States Courthouse.  The legislation boasts the support of the current judges on the Western District Court as well as retired Judge Ralph Thompson, who served on the bench in the Western District from 1975 to 2007, and many in the legal community in the Western District of Oklahoma.

S. 261 passed by unanimous consent out of the U.S. Senate EPW Committee on May 21. 

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