William Lee Estes
Judge Estes no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Estes decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
He credited concrete evidence of sustained incapacity over medical speculation that a claimant might later resume farm work.
“It would be a presumption, unsupported by the testimony, to say that this disability will not be permanent.”
He treated a public entity's use of bond proceeds and collection of supporting taxes as grounds for estoppel against later invalidity arguments.
“the defendants have waived the privileges they now assert, and are estopped from claiming that the bonds in question should not be paid.”
He followed state-court interpretations when deciding the effect of a state recording statute on a seller's retained title.
“This court should follow the decisions of the state courts in the interpretation and application of state statutes.”
Procedural preferences
He required federal jurisdiction to appear from the plaintiff's own claim rather than from an anticipated federal defense.
“if the ordinance was not within the authority delegated by the state in respect of such matters, this court has no jurisdiction to determine an issue respecting its constitutionality”
He required a land judgment admitting cotenants to possession to define each party's interest.
“The judgment ought to determine the rights of the parties.”
Cautions
A private compromise could not authorize a result that bankruptcy law expressly prohibited.
“One cannot estop himself from preventing a thing that the law declares shall not be done.”
Creditors seeking a pre-adjudication examination had to show an unusual asset-protection need rather than use the process to prepare the insolvency case.
“The bankrupt court should not permit the examination provided for by section 21a to be perverted from the purpose it is intended to accomplish”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The petition is denied, without prejudice to the right of the petitioning creditors to renew same at any time when it may appear that the protection of their interests requires such proceeding.”
“It is therefore ordered that this petition be granted, and that judgment be entered by the referee in accordance with this opinion.”
“the motion for a rehearing is therefore overruled.”
“The motion to dismiss is hereby sustained.”
“The motion to remand is therefore overruled.”
“It is ordered that the motion to remand be sustained.”
“My conclusion, therefore, is that the holding of the referee was erroneous, and that the claim presented by the Mayfield Company should be allowed. It is so ordered.”
“the motion to dismiss is, in my opinion, well taken, and it is therefore sustained”
“It is ordered that the motion for a rehearing be and the same hereby is overruled.”
“It is therefore the order of tlie eourt that the judgment heretofore rendered be sot aside, and a new trial granted.”
“the judgment rendered by him on the propositions is correct.”
“Lei judgment bo prepared, therefore, in favor of the plaintiff.”
“So it is ordered (hat the judgment of the referee be set aside, and the claim of the petitioners as a preference claim be denied.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No case-level docket records are available for this early-twentieth-century tenure, so the profile makes no claim about caseload mix or case duration.
A historical record
Judge Estes 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.