William Brevard Hand (January 18, 1924 – September 6, 2008) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Hand was in the United States Army during World War II, from 1943 to 1946. He received a B.S. from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in 1947 and an LL.B. from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1949. He was in private practice in Mobile, Alabama from 1949 to 1971.
On July 26, 1971, Hand was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama vacated by Daniel H. Thomas. Hand was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 21, 1971, and received his commission on September 22, 1971. He served as chief judge from 1981 to 1989, assuming senior status on January 19, 1989.
Hand received national attention when he ruled for the plaintiffs in a case against the Alabama school board claiming that textbooks used in Alabama promoted secular humanism, and as such were in violation of the Establishment clause. In his 172 page ruling, he ordered the removal of 44 texts across the state in subjects such as history and social studies.[1][2] The case was brought in Hand's district after his opinions regarding an 1982 school prayer ruling in Alabama. The ruling was reversed, without comment, in appeals.
Hand served as a senior judge on the court until his death, in 2008, in Mobile, Alabama.
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