Scott Palk
2017 - Present
7
Scott Lawrence Palk is a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on May 8, 2017, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 26, 2017, by a vote of 79-16.[1][2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
At the time of his nomination, Palk was working as assistant dean for students and assistant general counsel for the University of Oklahoma College of Law.[2]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
Palk was nominated to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma by President Donald Trump (R) on May 8, 2017. The U.S. Senate confirmed Palk on October 26, 2017, by a vote of 79-16.[1] He received commission on October 31, 2017.[2] To read more about the federal nomination process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Scott L. Palk |
| Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 171 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: May 8, 2017
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| ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
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| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: April 20, 2016
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: June 15, 2017
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| Confirmed: October 26, 2017
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| Vote: 79-16
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Palk on October 26, 2017, on a vote of 79-16.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Scott Palk confirmation vote (October 26, 2017) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
27 | 15 | 4 | ||||||
 Republican |
51 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 79 | 16 | 5 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Palk had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 15, 2017. The committee voted to advance Palk's nomination to the full Senate on June 15, 2017.[1]
Nomination
Palk was nominated to replace Judge Stephen Friot, who assumed senior status on December 1, 2014.
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Palk qualified for the position.[3] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Western District of Oklahoma (2016)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Barack Obama
President Barack Obama (D) nominated Palk to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on December 16, 2015, to serve as an Article III federal judge. Obama stated, regarding Palk and three other nominees, "I am pleased to nominate these distinguished individuals to serve on the United States District Court bench. I am confident they will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice."[4]
The American Bar Association rated Palk Unanimously Qualified for the nomination.[5]
Hearings on Palk's nomination were held in the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on April 20, 2016, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on May 19, 2016.[6][7] On January 3, 2017, Palk's nomination was returned to President Obama at the sine die adjournment of the 114th Congress.
Early life and education
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Palk earned his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University in 1989 and his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1992.[4]
Professional career
- 2017-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
- 2011-2017: University of Oklahoma College of Law
- Assistant dean for students
- Assistant general counsel
- Consultant to the Threat Assessment Review Committee
- 2002-2011: Assistant United States attorney, criminal division, Western District of Oklahoma
- 1992-2002: Assistant district attorney, Cleveland County, Oklahoma
- 1999-2002: First assistant district attorney[4]
About the court
| Western District of Oklahoma |
|---|
| Tenth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 7 |
| Judges: 7 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Timothy DeGiusti |
| Active judges: Timothy DeGiusti, Jodi Dishman, Charles B. Goodwin, John Heil III, Bernard Jones, Scott Palk, Patrick Wyrick Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is one of 94 United States district courts. It operates out of a courthouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit based in Denver, Colorado at the Byron White Federal Courthouse.
The Western District of Oklahoma has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The jurisdiction of the Western District of Oklahoma consists of all the counties in the western part of the state of Oklahoma.
- Alfalfa County
- Beaver County
- Beckham County
- Blaine County
- Caddo County
- Canadian County
- Cimarron County
- Cleveland County
- Comanche County
- Cotton County
- Custer County
- Dewey County
- Ellis County
- Garfield County
- Garvin County
- Grady County
- Grant County
- Greer County
- Harmon County
- Harper County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Kay County
- Kingfisher County
- Kiowa County
- Lincoln County
- Logan County
- McClain County
- Major County
- Noble County
- Oklahoma County
- Payne County
- Pottawatomie County
- Roger Mills County
- Stephens County
- Texas County
- Tillman County
- Washita County
- Woods County
- Woodward County
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
- United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 United States Congress, "PN 374 — Scott L. Palk — The Judiciary," accessed October 26, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Federal Judicial Center, "Palk, Scott Lawrence," accessed April 28, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed April 28, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The White House, "President Obama Nominates Four to Serve on the United States District Courts," December 16, 2015
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III Judicial Nominees: 114th Congress," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," April 20, 2016
- ↑ United States Senate, "Pending nominations on the executive calendar (civilian)," May 19, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma 2017-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove • Edward Artau • Kyle Dudek• Maria Lanahan | ||
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma
State courts:
Oklahoma Supreme Court • Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals • Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals • Oklahoma District Courts • Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Court of Existing Claims
State resources:
Courts in Oklahoma • Oklahoma judicial elections • Judicial selection in Oklahoma
