Ronald White (Oklahoma)
Ronald A. White is a federal judge on senior status of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. He has served as chief judge from 2017 to 2026. He joined the court in 2003 after being nominated by President George W. Bush.
White took senior status on January 27, 2026.[1][2]
Early life and education
A native of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, White graduated from the University of Oklahoma with his bachelor's degree in 1983 and from the University of Oklahoma College of Law with his J.D. in 1986.[2]
Professional career
- 2003 - 2026: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
- 2026 - present: Senior judge
- 2017 - 2026: Chief judge
- 2003 - 2017: Judge
- 1986-2003: Private practice, Tulsa, Okla.[2]
Judicial career
Eastern District of Oklahoma
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Ronald A. White |
| Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 138 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: May 15, 2003
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: September 3, 2003
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: September 25, 2003
|
| Confirmed: September 30, 2003
|
| Vote: 93-0
|
White was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 15, 2003, to a seat vacated by Frank Seay. The American Bar Association rated White Unanimously Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on White's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 3, 2003, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on September 25, 2003. White was confirmed on a recorded 93-0 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 30, 2003, and he received his commission on October 2, 2003. From 2017 to 2026, White served as the chief judge of the district court.[2][3][4] White assumed senior status on January 27, 2026.[2]
Judicial misconduct
2011 reprimand
In 2011, White was reprimanded by the judicial vouncil of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals for "using his office to appoint friends to serve as adjunct settlement judges, even though they were not qualified, and by ordering certain parties to pay them fees for their services despite a local court rule to the contrary." The council settled on a reprimand after White apologized for his behavior and promised to conduct himself more appropriately in the future.[5]
See also
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
- United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
External links
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed February 4, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge Ronald A. White," accessed June 5, 2017
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 660 — Ronald A. White — The Judiciary," accessed June 5, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 108th Congress," accessed June 5, 2017
- ↑ Tulsa World, "Federal judge apologizes for misconduct" June 9, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Seay |
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma 2003-2026 |
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:
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
