Southern District of Iowa / Appointed 1978 / Served to 1990

Donald Eugene O'Brien

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa

Appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 and confirmed by voice vote, Donald Eugene O'Brien was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. He earned a law degree from Creighton University School of Law in 1948. He previously served on the Northern District of Iowa.Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, October 4, 1978

Appointed by
Jimmy Carter, 1978
Confirmed
by voice vote
Education
Creighton Law 1948
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1978Southern District of Iowa · succeeded William Cook HansonCarter (D)voice
1978Northern District of Iowa · succeeded William Cook HansonCarter (D)voice

A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Education
Sources

12 years on the Southern District of Iowa. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).