John Edward Dowdell (born January 22, 1955) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Biography

Dowdell was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended

Bishop Kelley High School Bishop Kelley High School is an American Lasallian Catholic high school with 905 students, grades 9 to 12, located at 41st and Hudson Avenue, in the center of the Tulsa metropolitan area (in the Midtown area), on a campus spanning just over 47 ...

. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978 from Wake Forest University, where he played football for the

Demon Deacons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

as a Wide Receiver and Defensive Back from 1973 to 1977. Among his teammates are United States Senator Richard Burr and

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. (; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2022. Crist has been a member of the Democratic ...

, the former Governor of Florida. He received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in 1981 from the

University of Tulsa College of Law The University of Tulsa College of Law is the law school of the private University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For 2021, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the University of Tulsa College of Law at No. 111 among all law schools in the United S ...

. He served as a law clerk for Judge William Judson Holloway, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit from 1981 to 1983. After his clerkship, Dowdell joined the law firm of Norman, Wohlgemuth, Chandler & Dowdell, P.C., in Tulsa,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, in 1983, becoming partner in 1987. He handled civil and criminal matters in both trial and appellate courts. He spent 29 years in private practice where he was involved in six cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, litigated numerous cases in front of the Tenth Circuit, and performed extensive pro bono representation on behalf of criminal defendants. Beginning in 1999, he served on a pro bono basis as an Adjunct Settlement Judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Federal judicial service

On February 29, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Dowdell to serve as a District Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. He was nominated to the seat vacated Judge

Terence C. Kern Terence Curtis Kern (born September 25, 1944) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Education and career Kern was born in Clinton, Oklahoma. He received a Bachelor of ...

, who assumed senior status in 2010. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on his nomination on May 9, 2012 and reported his nomination to the floor on June 7, 2012. On December 11, 2012, the Senate confirmed Dowdell by a 95–0 vote. He received his judicial commission on December 12, 2012. He became Chief Judge on March 14, 2019. On June 21, 2021, Dowdell assumed senior status due to a certified disability.

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdell, John E. 1955 births Living people 21st-century American judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma Oklahoma lawyers United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama University of Tulsa alumni University of Tulsa College of Law alumni Wake Forest University alumni