Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice was nominated by Barack H. Obama on June 29, 2011, confirmed by the Senate March 6, 2012, and received his commission March 8, 2012. Judge Rice became the chief judge on January 27, 2016.
Chief Judge Rice is a graduate of Gonzaga University and Gonzaga University Law School. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington from 1987 to 2012, holding the positions of First Assistant from 2006 to 2012 and Criminal Chief from 2003 to 2006. From 1986 to 1987, he was a trial attorney in the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice.