United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
Template:Short description Template:Infobox U.S. federal court
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).
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, LeFlore, 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. since December 26, 2021[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". the United States attorney for the district is Christopher Wilson.[2]
History
Judge 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
since December 8, 2025[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".:
| # | 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 |
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- ↑ Jointly appointed to the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma.
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Vacancies and pending nominations
| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muskogee | Ronald A. White[3] | Senior status | January 27, 2026 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Script error: No such module "sort". |
Former judges
| # | 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 |
| 16 | James H. Payne[Note 2] | OK | 1941–2025 | 2001–2017 | 2002–2017 | 2017–2025 | G.W. Bush | death |
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- ↑ 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 i 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.
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Chief judges
Succession of seats
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See also
- Courts of Oklahoma
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in Oklahoma
References
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- ↑ U.S. District Courts of Oklahoma, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center
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External links
Template:United States 10th Circuit district judges Template:USDistCourts Template:Authority control Script error: No such module "Coordinates".