M. Douglas Harpool
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 and confirmed by the Senate 93–5, M. Douglas Harpool is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He earned a law degree from University of Missouri School of Law in 1980. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1956 · age 70
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2014
- Confirmed
- 93–5
- Education
- Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University) 1977 · University of Missouri Law 1980
- Succeeded
- Richard Everett Dorr
- Succeeded by
- Megan Blair Benton
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Western District of Missouri succeeded Richard Everett Dorr | Obama (D) | 93–5 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 93–5 on March 26, 2014 · 113th Congress, Roll Call 85. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 93
52 D, 39 R, 2 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Joe Donnelly(D-IN)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Jeff Flake(R-AZ)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Heidi Heitkamp(D-ND)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Bernie Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Timothy Scott(R-SC)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
- John Walsh(D-MT)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 5
5 R
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
Did not vote · 2
1 D, 1 R
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
Education
| Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) | B.S. | 1977 |
| University of Missouri School of Law | J.D. | 1980 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Harpool was assigned 2,561 district-court cases (1989–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 196 days across 2,186 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 199 of Harpool’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 180 were affirmed, 15 reversed or vacated, and 4 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed M. Douglas Harpool?
- President Barack Obama appointed M. Douglas Harpool to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in 2014.
- Was M. Douglas Harpool appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- M. Douglas Harpool was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was M. Douglas Harpool's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed M. Douglas Harpool 93–5 on March 26, 2014.
- Which court is M. Douglas Harpool on?
- M. Douglas Harpool is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2014)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
12 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).