Thomas Rutherford Brett (October 2, 1931 – February 6, 2021) was a
United States district judge of the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Education and career
Born in
Oklahoma City,
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 ...
, Brett received a
Bachelor of Business Administration from the
University of Oklahoma in 1952, a
Bachelor of Laws from the
University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1957, and a
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 ...
from the same institution in 1971. He was a lieutenant in the
United States Army from 1954 to 1955, and was thereafter a reserve colonel in the United States Army JAG Corps until 1981. He was an assistant county attorney in
Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1957 to 1958, and was then in private practice in Tulsa until 1979.
Federal judicial service
On September 28, 1979, Brett was nominated by President
Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on October 31, 1979, and received his commission on November 2, 1979. He served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 1996, assuming
senior status on October 3, 1996. Brett served in that capacity until his retirement on February 1, 2003.
Death
Brett died on February 6, 2021, at age 89, in
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Thomas Rutherford
1931 births
2021 deaths
20th-century American judges
21st-century American judges
Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
Lawyers from Oklahoma City
Oklahoma lawyers
Military personnel from Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma alumni
University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni
United States Army officers
United States Army reservists
United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter