Donald Walter
| Donald Walter | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana | |
| Title: | Senior Judge |
| Position: | Seat #6 |
| Station: | Shreveport, LA |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Ronald Reagan |
| Active: | 07/11/1985 - 11/29/2001 |
| Senior: | 11/30/2001 - Present |
| Preceded by: | 98 Stat. 333 |
| Succeeded by: | Maurice Hicks |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1936 |
| Home State: | Jennings, LA |
| Bachelors: | Louisiana State U., B.A., 1961 |
| Law School: | Louisiana State U. Law, J.D., 1964 |
| Military service: | U.S. Army 1957 - 1958 |
Contents |
Donald Ellsworth Walter is an Article III federal judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. He joined the court in 1985 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan. Walter is a judge serving on senior status.
Early life and education
A native of Louisiana, Walter graduated from Louisiana State University with his Bachelor's Degree in 1961 and later graduated from the Louisiana State University Law School with his Juris Doctor Degree in 1964. Walter Served in the US Army from 1957 to 1958 on active duty. [1]
Professional career
Walter served as a private practice attorney licensed in the State of Louisiana from 1964 to 1969 and from 1978 to 1985. In 1969, Walter was nominated by President Richard Nixon as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana and served in the role until 1977. [1]
Judicial career
Western District of Louisiana
Walter was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on May 15, 1985 to a new seat created by 98 Stat. 333. Walter was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 10, 1985 and received commission on July 11, 1985. Walter later assumed senior status on November 30, 2001. [1] Walter was succeeded in this position by Maurice Hicks.
Notable cases
A notable case on this page needs to be updated.
Hal Turner case
Judge Walter is the presiding judge in the first trial of political commentator Hal Turner. Turner was charged for making threats against Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook along with fellow judges William Bauer and Richard Posner after upholding the Chicago handgun ban in the McDonald v. Chicago case. The trial is being heard at the Eastern District of New York as the judge granted a venue change.[2]
On December 8, 2009, Judge Walter declared a mistrial in the first trial after the jury was deadlocked on reaching a verdict. The New York Law Journal reported that the jury did not reach an unanimous vote in order to acquit Turner. One of the jurors who spoke about the case to the media after the jury was dismissed said that federal prosecutors did not have a strong case saying that only six witnesses were called.[3]
A new trial began on March 1, 2010, with some changes in the trial's procedure.[4] For the second trial, Judge Walter would not allow Turner's attorneys to make opening statements to the jury until prosecutors rested their case and also banned both sides from revealing evidence that Turner was a FBI informant.[4]
On March 2, 2010, Seventh Circuit judges Richard Posner, William Bauer, and Frank Easterbrook testified for the prosecution. All three judges during their testimony considered the statements made by Turner as threats. Chief Judge Easterbrook mentioned the murder of the husband and mother of fellow Illinois federal judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow by a disgruntled litigant as a reason why they took Turner's alleged threats seriously.[5]
After the judges completed their testimonies, the prosecution rested its case.
When Turner testified on March 4, 2010, he said that what was spoken on his radio podcasts and written on his blogs was legal speech and made no threat to harm anyone. This came after an aggressive cross-examination by prosecuting attorneys in which they presented evidence that Turner would take credit for the death of a federal judge. When defense attorneys questioned Turner on March 3, 2010, he cited that his questionable rhetoric was necessary to help the FBI move on domestic terrorism issues.[6]
The jury in the second trial began deliberations on March 9, 2010. After two days of deliberations, a mistrial was declared on March 11, 2010. This came after the jury told the judge that they could not agree to an unanimous verdict which was required to convict Turner. One juror told the media after the trial that the prosecution was "weak" during the case.[7]
Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said that he will plan to pursue a third trial. The third trial is tentatively scheduled to begin on April 12, 2010.[7]
See also
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Judge Walter's Biography at the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ "Law.com" Trial of Blogger Accused of Threatening 7th Circuit Judges Opens, December 3, 2009
- ↑ "Law.com" Mistrial in Case of Blogger Accused of Threatening Judges, December 8, 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 NorthJersey.com "Retrial opens for North Bergen right-wing Internet radio host Hal Turner", March 1, 2010
- ↑ New York Times "3 U.S. Judges Testify in a Death Threat Case", March 2, 2010
- ↑ New York Times "Internet Radio Host Testifies His Violent Words Were ‘All Talk, No Action’", March 4, 2010
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Law.com "A Second Mistrial for Blogger Charged With Threatening Judges", March 11, 2010
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: NA-New Seat |
Western District of Louisiana 1985–2001 Seat #6 |
Succeeded by: Maurice Hicks |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Dee Drell • Patricia Minaldi • Richard Haik • Rebecca Doherty • Maurice Hicks • Robert James • Elizabeth Erny Foote | ||
| Senior judges |
Tucker Melancon • Tom Stagg • Donald Walter • James Trimble • | ||
| Magistrate judges | James Kirk • C. Michael Hill • Kathleen Kay • Karen Hayes • Mark Hornsby • Patrick Hanna • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
John Dick • Thomas Bolling Robertson • Samuel Hadden Harper • Philip Kissick Lawrence • Theodore Howard McCaleb • Henry Boyce • Alexander Boarman • John Duhe • Eugene Davis • George Whitfield Jack • Gaston Porterie • Benjamin Dawkins, Jr. • Benjamin Dawkins, Sr. • Edwin Hunter • F.A. Little • Richard Putnam • Nauman Scott • John Shaw • Earl Veron • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Richard Haik • Tom Stagg • Benjamin Dawkins, Jr. • Benjamin Dawkins, Sr. • Edwin Hunter • F.A. Little • Nauman Scott • John Shaw • | ||
