--- title: "David Lynn Russell | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-lynn-russell" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # David Lynn Russell U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma - State: Oklahoma - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Chief Judge of the district from 1994 to 2001 and assumed senior status on July 7, 2013, continuing to hear cases with a reduced caseload - Judge, District Court, W.D. Oklahoma, 1981-2013 - Judge, District Court, E.D. Oklahoma, 1981-1990 - Judge, District Court, N.D. Oklahoma, 1981-1990 - U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, 1975-1977, 1981-1982 - Assistant attorney general, State of Oklahoma, 1968-1969 - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma ### Education - University of Oklahoma College of Law — J.D. (1965) - Oklahoma Baptist University — B.S. (1963) ### Additional information - Western District of Oklahoma bench since 1981, appointed by President Ronald Reagan to a seat vacated by Frederick A. Daugherty. - U.S. Naval Reserve lieutenant commander, 1965-present - Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2003-2006 - Private practice, Oklahoma City, OK, 1979-1981 - Private practice, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1971-1972, 1979-1981 - Dewey Bartlett, OK, 1972-1975 - Private practice, Oklahoma City, OK, 1971-1972 - Dewey Bartlett, OK, 1969-1971 - Dewey Bartlett, Oklahoma, 1969-1971 - JAG Corps, 1967-1971 - law specialist, 1965-1967 - Born July 7, 1942, in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. - Date of birth: 1942-01-01 - Chief legislative assistant, U.S. Sen. - Legal advisor, Gov. - Birth place: Sapulpa, OK ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387246) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387246) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387246) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2806/david-lynn-russell/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2806/david-lynn-russell/) - [Judge David Lynn Russell](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387246) - [Wikidata: David Lynn Russell](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5236859) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-lynn-russell", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-lynn-russell", "name": "David Lynn Russell | KnowJudges", "description": "David Lynn Russell, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-lynn-russell#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-lynn-russell#judge", "name": "David Lynn Russell", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-lynn-russell", "jobTitle": "U.S. District Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387246", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2806/david-lynn-russell/" ], "birthDate": "1942", "birthPlace": "Sapulpa, OK", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Oklahoma Baptist University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Oklahoma College of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Oklahoma", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/oklahoma" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Lynn Russell", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-lynn-russell" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 279 | 9 | Not available | 9 | | 2y | 448 | 76 | 2.3 | 76 | | 5y | 798 | 394 | 3.9 | 394 | | 10y | 1611 | 1206 | 5.1 | 1206 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.