
David O’Toole
David joined the Eastern District of Texas in June of 2015 and was appointed Clerk of Court in September of 2015. Prior to that he was with the Western District of Texas in Austin, TX doing similar work as a Division Manager/Deputy Clerk for almost 9 years. David earned his BA in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin. After graduation David remained in Austin, working as a banker for 14 years, including 12 years with Chase Bank – Texas. During his tenure with Chase Texas, David specializing in turning around underperforming departments. He served on several committees including loss prevention, process improvement, and their annual United Way Committee. David was one of only two bankers selected to work with an outside firm to develop a comprehensive sales leadership program for Chase Texas. In 2001, looking for a new challenge, David attended Baylor Law School, where he earned his JD in 2003. David practiced law briefly before joining the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in 2006. There he put his legal training and his financial and management background to good use.
As TXED Clerk of Court, David has served the judicial officers, attorneys and public within the Eastern District of Texas for the past six years. David is responsible for oversight of all Eastern District Clerk’s Office operations, including: Information Technology, Finance, Budget, Procurement, Space and Facilities, Human Resources, and oversight of seven divisional Clerk’s Offices throughout the Eastern District. David has implemented several strategic initiatives as Clerk during his short tenure which have modernized the TXED Clerk’s Office and helped make it one of the preeminent training organizations in the Federal Judiciary. David assists the Chair of the TXED Rules Committee and the Chair of the TXED CJA Committee with the important work they do for the district. In January of 2019, David was appointed by The Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to serve as the Fifth Circuit representative on the District Clerk’s Advisory Group (DCAG). DCAG advises and collaborates with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on all issues related to the operation of U.S. District Courts and U.S. District Clerk’s Offices nationally.
When David was sworn in as Clerk of Court in 2015, he inherited a nearly two decades long TXED History Project. With support from former Chief Judge Ron Clark and current Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap, and with a great deal of help from other court staff and the Stephen F. Austin State University Press, the TXED History Project was finally completed and published in 2020. Collegiality and the Constitution: The United States District Court For the Eastern District of Texas 1846-2006. It is now available for purchase through TAMU Press.
David O’Toole lives and works in Tyler, Texas. There are seven clerk’s offices and eight federal courthouse locations throughout the Eastern District of Texas: Beaumont, Lufkin, Marshall, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana and Tyler. David LOVES East Texas and enjoys traveling to each of these locations as time permits and as needed.