David Godbey
David C. Godbey is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He served as chief judge from 2022 until 2025. He joined the court in 2002 after being nominated by President George W. Bush (R). He assumed senior status on September 18, 2025.[1][2]
Biography
Early life and education
Born in Temple, Texas, Godbey graduated from Southern Methodist University with a bachelor's degree in 1978 and from Harvard Law School with his J.D. in 1982.[1]
Professional career
- 2002 - Present: Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- 2025 - Present: Senior judge
- 2022 - 2025: Chief judge
- 2002 - 2022: Judge
- 1994 - 2002: Judge, Texas 160th District Court
- 1983 - 1994: Private practice, Dallas, Texas
- 1982 - 1983: Law clerk, Hon. Irving Goldberg, United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit[1]
Judicial career
Northern District of Texas
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: David C. Godbey |
| Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 190 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: January 23, 2002
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: April 25, 2002
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: June 13, 2002
|
| Confirmed: August 1, 2002
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| Vote: Voice vote
|
Godbey was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2002, to a seat vacated by Robert Maloney. The American Bar Association rated Godbey Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Godbey's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 25, 2002, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on June 13, 2002. Godbey was confirmed on a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on August 1, 2002, and he received his commission on August 2, 2002.[1][3][4] From 2022 to 2025, Godbey served as chief judge of the district court.[1][5]
He assumed senior status on September 18, 2025.[2]
See also
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of David C. Godbey," accessed September 12, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Godbey, David C.," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 1338 — David C. Godbey — The Judiciary," accessed May 21, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 107th Congress," accessed May 21, 2017
- ↑ United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, "Chief District Judge David C. Godbey," accessed October 11, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Maloney |
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas 2002-2025 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
