United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma (in case citations, E.D. Okla. or E.D. Ok.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma | |
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(E.D. Okla.) | |
Location | Ed Edmondson U.S. Courthouse (Muskogee) |
Appeals to | Tenth Circuit |
Established | June 16, 1906 |
Judges | 2 |
Chief Judge | Ronald A. White |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Christopher Wilson (interim) |
U.S. Marshal | Kerry L. Pettingill |
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The District was established on June 16, 1906, and became operational on November 16, 1907, with Oklahoma achieving statehood.[1]
The court's jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Love, Marshall, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Seminole, Sequoyah, and Wagoner.
The court is housed in the Ed Edmondson U.S. Courthouse in Muskogee.
The United States Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Oklahoma represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of December 26, 2021[update] the interim United States attorney for the district is Christopher Wilson.[2]
History
editJudge Frank Howell Seay, appointed to the court by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, was the first Native American (Seminole) appointed to any U.S. district court.
Current judges
editAs of May 27, 2020[update]:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
17 | Chief Judge | Ronald A. White | Muskogee | 1961 | 2003–present | 2017–present | — | G.W. Bush |
18 | District Judge | John F. Heil III[Note 1] | Muskogee | 1968 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
13 | Senior Judge | Frank Howell Seay | inactive | 1938 | 1979–2003 | 1980–1996 | 2003–present | Carter |
16 | Senior Judge | James H. Payne[Note 1] | inactive | 1941 | 2001–2017 | 2002–2017 | 2017–present | G.W. Bush |
Former judges
edit# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ralph E. Campbell | OK | 1867–1921 | 1907–1918[Note 1] | — | — | T. Roosevelt | resignation |
2 | Robert L. Williams | OK | 1868–1948 | 1919–1937 | — | — | Wilson | elevation to 10th Cir. |
3 | Franklin Elmore Kennamer | OK | 1879–1960 | 1924–1925 | — | — | Coolidge | reassignment to N.D. Okla. |
4 | Alfred P. Murrah | OK | 1904–1975 | 1937–1940[Note 2] | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 10th Cir. |
5 | Eugene Rice | OK | 1891–1967 | 1937–1963 | 1949–1963 | 1963–1967 | F. Roosevelt | death |
6 | Bower Slack Broaddus | OK | 1888–1949 | 1940–1949[Note 2] | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
7 | William Robert Wallace | OK | 1886–1960 | 1950–1960[Note 2] | — | — | Truman | death |
8 | Luther L. Bohanon | OK | 1902–2003 | 1961–1974[Note 2] | — | 1974–2003 | Kennedy | death |
9 | Frederick Alvin Daugherty | OK | 1914–2006 | 1961–1982[Note 3][Note 2] | 1973–1975 | 1982–2006 | Kennedy | death |
10 | Orville Edwin Langley | OK | 1908–1973 | 1965–1973 | 1965–1973 | — | L. Johnson | death |
11 | Joseph Wilson Morris | OK | 1922–2021 | 1974–1978 | 1975–1978 | — | Nixon | resignation |
12 | H. Dale Cook | OK | 1924–2008 | 1974–1992[Note 2] | — | 1992–2008 | Ford | death |
14 | David Lynn Russell | OK | 1942–present | 1981–1990[Note 2] | — | — | Reagan | seat abolished |
15 | Michael Burrage | OK | 1950–present | 1994–2001[Note 2] | 1996–2001 | — | Clinton | resignation |
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1907, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 13, 1908, and received commission the same day.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Jointly appointed to the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the Senate on February 7, 1962, and received commission on February 17, 1962.
Chief judges
editChief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Succession of seats
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ U.S. District Courts of Oklahoma, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center
- ^ "Meet the U.S. Attorney". January 3, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022.