Senior Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen was nominated by George Bush on March 21, 1991, confirmed by the Senate on May 9, 1991, and received his commission on May 14, 1991. Judge Nielsen served as chief judge from 1995-2000 and assumed senior status on May 30, 2003.
Judge Nielsen is a graduate of the University of Washington and University of Washington School of Law. Judge Nielsen served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956-1959, as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles L. Powell, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington 1963-1964 and was in private practice in Spokane from 1964-1991.