Thomas Owen Rice
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and confirmed by the Senate 93–4, Thomas Owen Rice is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. He earned a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1986. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1960 · age 66
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2012
- Confirmed
- 93–4
- Education
- Gonzaga 1983 · Gonzaga Law 1986
- Succeeded
- Robert H. Whaley
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Eastern District of Washington succeeded Robert H. Whaley | Obama (D) | 93–4 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 93–4 on March 6, 2012 · 112th Congress, Roll Call 27. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 93
50 D, 41 R, 2 I
- Daniel Akaka(D-HI)
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Jeff Bingaman(D-NM)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Scott Brown(R-MA)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Benjamin Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Kent Conrad(D-ND)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- 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)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Kay Hutchison(R-TX)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Daniel Inouye(D-HI)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- John Kerry(D-MA)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Herb Kohl(D-WI)
- Jon Kyl(R-AZ)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Lieberman(I-CT)
- Richard Lugar(R-IN)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Ben Nelson(D-NE)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Olympia Snowe(R-ME)
- 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)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- James Webb(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 4
4 R
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- James DeMint(R-SC)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
Did not vote · 3
1 D, 2 R
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
Education
| Gonzaga University | B.B.A. | 1983 |
| Gonzaga University School of Law | J.D. | 1986 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Rice was assigned 1,607 district-court cases (2009–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 183 days across 1,281 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 186 of Rice’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 126 were affirmed, 45 reversed or vacated, and 15 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 Thomas Owen Rice?
- President Barack Obama appointed Thomas Owen Rice to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in 2012.
- Was Thomas Owen Rice appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Thomas Owen Rice was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Thomas Owen Rice's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Thomas Owen Rice 93–4 on March 6, 2012.
- Which court is Thomas Owen Rice on?
- Thomas Owen Rice is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2012)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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14 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).