# John E. Dowdell
John Edward Dowdell (born 1955) is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) He was appointed to the court by President Barack Obama, receiving his commission in 2012.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) Dowdell served as chief judge of the court from 2019 to 2021 and took senior status on June 21, 2021.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Court | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) |
| Confirmed | December 11, 2012, by a vote of 95 to 0[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) • [2](https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS1120461) |
| Senior status | June 21, 2021[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) |
| Born | 1955, Tulsa, Oklahoma[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) |
| Education | B.A., Wake Forest University, 1978; J.D., University of Tulsa College of Law, 1981[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) |
## Early life and education
Dowdell was born in 1955 in [Tulsa, Oklahoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/tulsa-oklahoma).[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) He received a [Bachelor of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-arts) from [Wake Forest University](https://www.edgepedia.org/wake-forest-university) in 1978 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1981.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076)
## Legal career
After law school, Dowdell served as a law clerk to Judge William J. Holloway, Jr. of the [United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-court-of-appeals-for-the-tenth-circuit) from 1981 to 1983.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) He then entered private practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he worked from 1983 until his appointment to the federal bench in 2012.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) According to the Northern District of Oklahoma, during his years in practice he spent 29 years in extensive pro bono representation of criminal defendants.[3](https://www.oknd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/JED_Press_Release_Senior%20Status.pdf) He was a partner in the Tulsa law firm Norman, Wohlgemuth, Chandler and Dowdell.[4](https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/attorneys-file-motion-to-disqualify-judge-on-elliott-williams-case-cite-conflict-of-interest/)
## Federal judicial service
President [Barack Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/barack-obama) nominated Dowdell to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma on February 29, 2012.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) The Senate confirmed him on December 11, 2012, by a vote of 95 to 0.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) • [2](https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS1120461) He received his commission on December 12, 2012.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) Dowdell served as chief judge of the court from 2019 to 2021.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) He assumed senior status due to a certified disability on June 21, 2021, and continues to serve the court as a senior judge.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076) • [3](https://www.oknd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/JED_Press_Release_Senior%20Status.pdf)
## Notable cases
Elliott Williams civil rights case. Dowdell presided over a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by the estate of Elliott Williams, an inmate who died in the [Tulsa County](https://www.edgepedia.org/tulsa-county) jail, against Sheriff Vic Regalado in his official capacity, former Sheriff Stanley Glanz, and the jail's former medical provider, Correctional Healthcare Companies Inc.[4](https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/attorneys-file-motion-to-disqualify-judge-on-elliott-williams-case-cite-conflict-of-interest/) In July, Dowdell issued a ruling allowing the case to go forward, in which he called the cell where Williams died a "burial crypt."[4](https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/attorneys-file-motion-to-disqualify-judge-on-elliott-williams-case-cite-conflict-of-interest/) Hours before a pre-trial hearing, attorneys filed a motion to disqualify Dowdell, arguing that his former firm had litigated a 2008 case against Tulsa County over an agreement to operate the jail, and that his involvement in that case raised serious questions about his impartiality.[4](https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/attorneys-file-motion-to-disqualify-judge-on-elliott-williams-case-cite-conflict-of-interest/) The 2008 suit, filed in Tulsa District Court by Dowdell's firm, alleged that jail conditions under Glanz violated prisoners' and detainees' civil rights and sought punitive damages from Tulsa County; it ended in a settlement in 2009. On February 15, 2017, Dowdell denied the motion to disqualify himself, as well as a motion to stay, in a civil rights case filed against former sheriff Stanley Glanz and current Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado.[5](https://www.newson6.com/story/5e35fda62f69d76f6202ed09/judge-refuses-to-disqualify-himself-in-lawsuit-over-tulsa-inmates-death) • [4](https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/attorneys-file-motion-to-disqualify-judge-on-elliott-williams-case-cite-conflict-of-interest/)
## References
1. [Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges: John Edward Dowdell](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394076)
2. [Senate Roll Call Vote, December 11, 2012](https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS1120461)
3. [Public Notice: Chief Judge John E. Dowdell Senior Status](https://www.oknd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/JED_Press_Release_Senior%20Status.pdf)
4. [Attorneys file motion to disqualify judge on Elliott Williams case, cite conflict of interest](https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/attorneys-file-motion-to-disqualify-judge-on-elliott-williams-case-cite-conflict-of-interest/)
5. [Judge refuses to disqualify himself in lawsuit over tulsa inmates death (newson6.com)](https://www.newson6.com/story/5e35fda62f69d76f6202ed09/judge-refuses-to-disqualify-himself-in-lawsuit-over-tulsa-inmates-death)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › United States judges › US federal judges › Article III judges (district and appellate) › United States district court judges › Surnames D to E*
*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Sep 29, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license