Steger was nominated by President Richard Nixon on October 7, 1970, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, to a new seat created by 84 Stat. 294.
President Richard Nixon chose Steger to fill a vacant seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on October 7, 1970, as part of a broader effort to reshape the federal judiciary mandated by 84 Stat. 294.