Senator Lankford Supports Oklahomans for US District Court

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of two nominees for the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Judge Suzanne Mitchell and Scott Palk. 

“Suzanne’s and Scott’s background and work in Oklahoma make them uniquely qualified to serve our state as federal judges,” said Lankford. “I believe they are devoted to public service and will uphold both the rule of law and integrity of the court. I ask my Senate colleagues to confirm their nominations.”

Since January 2015, Lankford worked to fill the two vacancies on the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. On June 5, 2015, Lankford jointly submitted with Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) Palk and Mitchell to the White House for consideration and they were officially nominated by the President on December 16, 2015. 

Background: 

Scott Palk

Palk is a native Oklahoman and he is currently serving as the Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, a position he has held since 2012. He also serves as Assistant General Counsel to the University of Oklahoma and as a consultant to the Treat Assessment Review Committee on main campus.

From 2004 to 2012, Palk served in the Western District of Oklahoma as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council Coordinator, and the Crisis Management Coordinator. From 2002 to 2004, he was Assistant United States Attorney in the Violent Crimes/Gangs/Firearms Section. 

He earned his JD from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1992 and his BS from Oklahoma State University in 1989. 

Suzanne Mitchell

Mitchell serves as a US Magistrate Judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, a position she has held since 2013. From 2010 to 2013, she served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Appellate Division of the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma. 

From 1999 to 2010 she served as a senior law clerk to Judge Robert Harlan Henry of the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. She was in private practice from 1997 to 1999 at McAfee Taft in Oklahoma City. 

She earned her JD from George Washington University Law School in 1996 and her BS from Georgetown in 1990.

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