David Lynn Russell (born July 7, 1942) is a
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
of the
and a former United States district judge of the
and the
. He served as the
United States attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1977 and again from 1981 to 1982.
Education and career
Russell was born in
Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Sapulpa is a city in and the county seat of Creek County, Oklahoma, Creek County, extending partly into Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tulsa County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 21,929 at the time of the 2020 United States census, ...
. He received a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree from
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of ...
in 1963 and a
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from the
University of Oklahoma College of Law
The University of Oklahoma College of Law is the law school of the University of Oklahoma. It is located on the University's campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The College of Law was founded in 1909 by a resolution of the OU Board of Regents.
Accordi ...
in 1965. He was in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
, JAG Corps, from 1965 to 1968, continuing to serve as a reservist until 1971 and achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. He was an assistant attorney general of the State of Oklahoma from 1968 to 1969, and was then a legal advisor to Governor
Dewey Bartlett from 1969 to 1971. He entered private practice in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
from 1971 to 1972, but when Bartlett was elected to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
, Russell became his chief legislative assistant from 1972 to 1975. Russell was then the
United States attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the Western District of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1977, returning to private practice in Oklahoma City from 1979 to 1981, but again serving in the United States attorney post from 1981 to 1982.
Federal judicial service
On December 4, 1981, Russell was nominated by President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
to a joint seat on the
,
, and
, vacated by Judge
Frederick Alvin Daugherty. Russell was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on December 16, 1981, and received his commission on December 17, 1981. On December 1, 1990, he was reassigned by
operation of law
The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...
to serve on only the Western District of Oklahoma, where he served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 2001. He assumed
senior status on July 7, 2013.
See also
*
List of United States federal judges by longevity of service
These are lists of Article III United States federal judges by longevity of service. Senate confirmation along with presidential appointment to an Article III court entails a lifelong appointment, unless the judge is impeached, resigns, retires, ...
References
Sources
*
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, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, David Lynn
1942 births
Living people
21st-century American judges
Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Baptist University alumni
People from Sapulpa, Oklahoma
United States attorneys for the Western District of Oklahoma
United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan
United States Navy officers
University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni