# United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma (in case citations, N.D. Okla.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The District was established on February 16, 1925, with the transfer of a judgeship in the Eastern District to the newly established Northern district.

## Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma is one of three federal judicial districts in Oklahoma. Court for the District is held at Tulsa.
The court's jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Craig, Creek, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Rogers, Tulsa, and Washington.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of December 26, 2021 the United States attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma is Clint Johnson.

## Current judges

As of March 1, 2025:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 20 | Chief Judge | John F. Heil III | Tulsa | 1968 | 2020–present | 2021–present | — | Trump |
| 21 | District Judge | Sara E. Hill | Tulsa | 1977 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 22 | District Judge | John D. Russell | Tulsa | 1963 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 23 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Senior Judge | Terence C. Kern | Tulsa | 1944 | 1994–2010 | 1996–2003 | 2010–present | Clinton |
| 16 | Senior Judge | Claire Eagan | Tulsa | 1950 | 2001–2022 | 2005–2012 | 2022–present | G.W. Bush |
| 17 | Senior Judge | James H. Payne | inactive | 1941 | 2001–2017 | — | 2017–present | G.W. Bush |
| 18 | Senior Judge | Gregory Kent Frizzell | Tulsa | 1956 | 2007–2025 | 2012–2019 | 2025–present | G.W. Bush |
| 19 | Senior Judge | John E. Dowdell | inactive | 1955 | 2012–2021 | 2019–2021 | 2021–present | Obama |
* 1 2 Jointly appointed to the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma.

## Vacancies and pending nominations

| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
| 1 | Tulsa | Gregory Kent Frizzell | Senior status | March 1, 2025 | – | – |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Franklin Elmore Kennamer | OK | 1879–1960 | 1925–1940 | — | 1940–1960 | Coolidge/Operation of law | death |
| 2 | Alfred P. Murrah | OK | 1904–1975 | 1937–1940 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 10th Cir. |
| 3 | Bower Slack Broaddus | OK | 1888–1949 | 1940–1949 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 4 | Royce H. Savage | OK | 1904–1993 | 1940–1961 | 1949–1961 | — | F. Roosevelt | resignation |
| 5 | William Robert Wallace | OK | 1886–1960 | 1950–1960 | — | — | Truman | death |
| 6 | Luther L. Bohanon | OK | 1902–2003 | 1961–1974 | — | 1974–2003 | Kennedy | death |
| 7 | Frederick Alvin Daugherty | OK | 1914–2006 | 1961–1982 | — | 1982–2006 | Kennedy | death |
| 8 | Allen E. Barrow | OK | 1914–1979 | 1962–1979 | 1962–1979 | — | Kennedy | death |
| 9 | H. Dale Cook | OK | 1924–2008 | 1974–1992 | 1979–1992 | 1992–2008 | Ford | death |
| 10 | Thomas Rutherford Brett | OK | 1931–2021 | 1979–1996 | 1994–1996 | 1996–2003 | Carter | retirement |
| 11 | James O. Ellison | OK | 1929–2014 | 1979–1994 | 1992–1994 | 1994–2014 | Carter | death |
| 12 | David Lynn Russell | OK | 1942–present | 1981–1990 | — | — | Reagan | seat abolished |
| 14 | Michael Burrage | OK | 1950–present | 1994–2001 | — | — | Clinton | resignation |
| 15 | Sven Erik Holmes | OK | 1951–present | 1994–2005 | 2003–2005 | — | Clinton | resignation |
* ↑ Reassigned from the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jointly appointed to the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 7, 1962, and received commission on February 17, 1962.

## Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Seat reassigned from Eastern District on February 16, 1925 by 43 Stat. 945 ||||
| Kennamer | 1925–1940 |
| Savage | 1940–1961 |
| Barrow | 1962–1979 |
| Ellison | 1979–1994 |
| Holmes | 1994–2005 |
| Frizzell | 2007–2025 |
| vacant | 2025–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on June 22, 1936 by 49 Stat. 1804 (concurrent with Eastern and Western Districts) ||||
| Murrah | 1937–1940 |
| Broaddus | 1940–1949 |
| Wallace | 1950–1960 |
| Bohanon | 1961–1974 |
| Cook | 1974–1992 |
| Burrage | 1994–2001 |
| Payne | 2001–2017 |
| Heil III | 2020–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 (concurrent with Eastern and Western Districts) ||
| Daugherty | 1961–1982 |
| D. Russell | 1981–1990 |
| Seat reassigned solely to Western District on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Brett | 1979–1996 |
| Eagan | 2001–2022 |
| Hill | 2024–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Kern | 1994–2010 |
| Dowdell | 2012–2021 |
| J. Russell | 2024–present |