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Scott Palk

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Scott Palk

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma

Tenure

2017 - Present

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

Oklahoma State University, 1989

Law

University of Oklahoma College of Law, 1992

Personal

Birthplace

Tulsa, OK

Contact

Official website

Scott Lawrence Palk is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on May 8, 2017, and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on October 26, 2017, by a vote of 79-16.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited 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 theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on May 8, 2017. TheU.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.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Scott L. Palk
Court:United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Progress
Confirmed 171 days after nomination.
ANominated: May 8, 2017
AABA Rating:Unanimously Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: April 20, 2016

QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: June 15, 2017
AConfirmed: October 26, 2017
AVote: 79-16

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 theSenate 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 JudgeStephen Friot, who assumedsenior status on December 1, 2014.

TheAmerican Bar Association unanimously rated Palkqualified 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

PresidentBarack Obama (D) nominated Palk to theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on December 16, 2015, to serve as anArticle 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]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated PalkUnanimously Qualified for the nomination.^[5]

Hearings on Palk's nomination were held in theUnited 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 thesine die adjournment of the 114th Congress.

Early life and education

A native ofTulsa, Oklahoma, Palk earned his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University in 1989 and hisJ.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: Wayne Alley,Robin Cauthron,Stephen Friot,Joe Heaton,Timothy D. Leonard,Vicki Miles-LaGrange,James Payne,David Russell

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is one of 94United States district courts. It operates out of a courthouse inOklahoma City, Oklahoma. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit based inDenver, Colorado at the Byron White Federal Courthouse.

The Western District of Oklahoma hasoriginal 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 thecounties in the western part of the state ofOklahoma.

To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.

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 theSenate 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 ablue 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.