U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Oklahoma · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Tenth Circuit.
U.S. District Court for the Western 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.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma has 7 active judges (6 appointed by Republican presidents and 1 by presidents of other or pre-modern parties), 6 on senior status. Chief Judge: Scott Lawrence Palk (since 2026).
W.D. Oklahoma judges by appointing president
| Appointed by | Judges | Party | Judges in active service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trump | 5 | Republican | Scott Lawrence Palk · Chief Judge, Jodi Warmbrod Dishman, Bernard M. Jones, Patrick Robert Wyrick, John Frederick Heil III |
| G.W. Bush | 1 | Republican | Timothy D. DeGiusti |
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Judges in active service
- Chief JudgeScott L. Palk
- Timothy D. DeGiusti
- Charles B. Goodwin
- Jodi W. Dishman
- Bernard M. Jones
- Patrick R. Wyrick
- John F. Heil III
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
John Frederick Heil III (current) · Joe L. Heaton (current) · Bernard M. Jones (current) · David Lynn Russell (current) · Patrick Robert Wyrick (current) · Timothy D. DeGiusti (current) · Vicki Miles-LaGrange (current) · Jodi Warmbrod Dishman (current) · Wayne Edward Alley (current) · Stephen P. Friot (current) · Scott Lawrence Palk (current) · Robin J. Cauthron (current) · Charles Barnes Goodwin (current) · Stephen Sanders Chandler Jr. · Frederick Alvin Daugherty · Luther Lee Bohanon · Lee Roy West
Former judges
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| James H. Payne | G.W. Bush (R) | 2001–2025 |
| Billy Michael Burrage | Clinton (D) | 1994–2001 |
| Timothy D. Leonard | G.H.W. Bush (R) | 1992–2026 |
| Layn R. Phillips | Reagan (R) | 1987–1991 |
| Lee Roy West | Carter (D) | 1979–2020 |
| Ralph Gordon Thompson | Ford (R) | 1975–2007 |
| Harold Dale Cook | Ford (R) | 1974–2008 |
| Luther Boyd Eubanks | L.B. Johnson (D) | 1965–1987 |
| Frederick Alvin Daugherty | Kennedy (D) | 1962–2006 |
| Luther Lee Bohanon | Kennedy (D) | 1961–2003 |
| Ross Rizley | Eisenhower (R) | 1956–1969 |
| William Robert Wallace | Truman (D) | 1950–1960 |
| Stephen Sanders Chandler Jr. | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1943–1989 |
| Bower Slack Broaddus | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1940–1949 |
| Alfred Paul Murrah | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1940 |
| Edgar Sullins Vaught | Coolidge (R) | 1929–1959 |
| John Hazelton Cotteral | T. Roosevelt (R) | 1908–1928 |
Magistrate judges
Appointed by the judges of this district to renewable 8-year terms, not nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. They handle pretrial matters, misdemeanors, and many civil cases by consent.
| Magistrate judge | Years |
|---|---|
| Bernard M. Jones II | 2015–present |
| Suzanne Mitchell | 2013–present |
| Shon T. Erwin | 2012–present |
| Gary M. Purcell | 1992–present |
| Valerie K Couch | 1999–2012 |
| Bana B Roberts | 1991–2013 |
| Doyle W Argo | 1987–2012 |
Bankruptcy court
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 1908. This court is also served by magistrate judges, listed above, whom the district’s own judges appoint. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data). Data as of 2026-09-28 (FJC); magistrates 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying.