“The Rule of Law Keeps Us Free”
The United States District Court
for the Western District of Oklahoma
has been upholding justice since 1907.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma was established by Congress on June 16, 1906. The law took effect when Oklahoma declared statehood in the fall of 1907. While under the umbrella of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals today, the Western District was originally under the jurisdiction of the Eighth Circuit until 1929. Oklahoma boasts three separate federal judicial districts: the Western, Northern, and Eastern. While the eastern half of the state, including Tulsa, make up the Eastern and Northern Districts, the Western District is the largest of the three including essentially everything west of Shawnee, Oklahoma.
An early photo of the William J. Holloway Federal Courthouse
The Western District, like all federal districts, is comprised of many departments established by Congress. These divisions deal in their respective spheres to uphold the rule of law and the administration of justice demanded by the U.S. Constitution.
Judges (District, Magistrate, Bankruptcy, Circuit)
The judges are the heartbeat of the every judicial district. Federal judgeships are issued by Congress under the authority given it by Article III of the Constitution. Aside from the United States Supreme Court, Congress was given exclusive authority to establish all inferior courts.
U.S. Marshals Service
U.S. Attorneys
Federal Public Defenders
Court Security Officers
Bankruptcy Trustees
General Services Administration
Court Staff
Trial Lawyers
U.S. Court Clerks
U.S. Probation Officers
The commission of judges has also grown from the original single seat in 1906 to seven fully commissioned seats on the federal bench today. This does not include the additional magistrate judges and those judges who take senior status to continue serving the court.