U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Tenth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Terence C. Kern | Clinton (D) | 1994 |
| Claire Eagan | Bush (R) | 2001 |
| Gregory Kent Frizzell | Bush (R) | 2007 |
| John Edward Dowdell | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| John Frederick Heil III | Trump (R) | 2020 |
| Sara Elizabeth Hill | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| John David Russell | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| James H. Payne | Bush (R) | 2001–2025 |
| Billy Michael Burrage | Clinton (D) | 1994–2001 |
| Sven Erik Holmes | Clinton (D) | 1994–2005 |
| David Lynn Russell | Reagan (R) | 1981–1990 |
| Thomas Rutherford Brett | Carter (D) | 1979–2003 |
| James O. Ellison | Carter (D) | 1979–2014 |
| Harold Dale Cook | Ford (R) | 1974–2008 |
| Allen Edward Barrow | Kennedy (D) | 1962–1979 |
| Frederick Alvin Daugherty | Kennedy (D) | 1962–2006 |
| Luther Lee Bohanon | Kennedy (D) | 1961–2003 |
| William Robert Wallace | Truman (D) | 1950–1960 |
| Bower Slack Broaddus | Roosevelt (D) | 1940–1949 |
| Royce H. Savage | Roosevelt (D) | 1940–1961 |
| Alfred Paul Murrah | Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1940 |
| Franklin Elmore Kennamer | (reassignment) (N) | 1925–1960 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1925.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.