--- title: "Donald Ellsworth Walter | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-ellsworth-walter" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Donald Ellsworth Walter U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - State: Louisiana - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, W.D. Louisiana, 1985-2001 - court: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - Nominated by Ronald Reagan on May 15, 1985 to a new seat authorized by 98 Stat - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, 1969-1977 - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, based in Shreveport - As Senior Judge, Walter continues to hear cases in the Western District of Louisiana ### Education - Louisiana State University Law School (now Paul M. Hebert Law Center) — Law — J.D. (1964) - Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College — B.A. (1961) ### Additional information - Has been a Senior Judge since 2001 - Served until November 30, 2001, when he assumed senior status - On May 15, 1985, President Ronald Reagan nominated Walter to a newly created seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. - Confirmed July 10, 1985 - Commission July 11, 1985 - Private practice, Shreveport, LA, 1978-1985 - Private practice, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1978-1985 - Prior nominations: Aug 5, 1976 and Oct 5, 1984 - no Senate vote - Private practice, Lake Charles, LA, 1964-1969 - Private practice, Lake Charles, Louisiana, 1964-1969 - Juris Doctor from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU in 1964 - Walter was born in Jennings, Louisiana, and held the role of an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1958, stationed at Fort Bliss. - Born March 15, 1936, in Jennings, Louisiana. - Date of birth: 1936-01-01 - received his commission the next day. - Duty station Shreveport (/UScourts corroboration) - Birth place: Jennings, LA ## 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/1389331) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389331) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389331) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3360/donald-ellsworth-walter/) - [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/3360/donald-ellsworth-walter/) - [Wikidata: Donald Ellsworth Walter](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5294308) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-ellsworth-walter) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Ellsworth_Walter) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3360/donald-ellsworth-walter/) - [Wikidata: Donald Ellsworth Walter](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5294308) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-ellsworth-walter", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-ellsworth-walter", "name": "Donald Ellsworth Walter | KnowJudges", "description": "Donald Ellsworth Walter, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. 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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.