[1] Sawtelle was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson on August 6, 1913, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona vacated by Judge Richard Elihu Sloan.
He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 18, 1913, and received his commission the same day.
His service terminated on February 6, 1931, due to his elevation to the Ninth Circuit.
[1] Sawtelle was nominated by President Herbert Hoover on January 8, 1931, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated by Judge Frank Sigel Dietrich.
[1] His service terminated on December 17, 1934, due to his death of a fall down the stairs at his home in San Francisco, California.