John Frederick Heil III (born 1968)United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: John Heil is an American lawyer from Oklahoma who is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma and United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. In addition to his appointment to the Northern and Eastern Districts, he is also a judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Education
Heil earned his Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma State University and his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Tulsa College of Law, where he served as an Editor for the Tulsa Law Journal."President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" White House, November 6, 2019
Career
Before joining Hall Estill, Heil served the State of Oklahoma as Assistant District Attorney in the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office. From 2000 to 2020, he was a shareholder and director at Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his practice focused on complex commercial litigation.
Federal judicial service
On November 6, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Heil to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. On December 2, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Heil to the seat vacated by Judge James H. Payne, who assumed senior status on August 1, 2017."Eight Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate", White House, December 2, 2019 On January 3, 2020, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On January 6, 2020, his renomination was sent to the Senate."Twenty-one Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, January 6, 2020 A hearing on his nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on January 8, 2020.United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for January 8, 2020 On March 12, 2020, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 16–5 vote.Results of Executive Business Meeting – March 12, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee On May 20, 2020, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 76–16 vote."On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: John F. Heil III to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma)", United States Senate, May 20, 2020 Later that same day, his nomination was confirmed by a 75–17 vote."On the Nomination (Confirmation: John F. Heil III, of Oklahoma, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma)", United States Senate, May 20, 2020 He received his judicial commission on May 27, 2020. He has served as the chief judge of the Northern District of Oklahoma since 2021 and the Eastern District since 2026.
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