Born in Houston, Texas, Judge O’Connor was appointed to the Northern District of Texas in 2007 by President George W. Bush, after being recommended by Texas Senators Hutchinson and Cornyn. He graduated from the University of Houston, with a B.S., in 1986, and received his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1989, where he graduated summa cum laude (and second in his class) and was a member of the South Texas Law Review.
Following law school, Judge O’Connor was an Associate at Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. from 1989 to 1994. From 1994 to 1998, he served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. Judge O’Connor then became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, where he served from 1998 to 2007.
Judge O’Connor also served a four-year “detail” in Washington, D.C. In 2003, he served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He then served, beginning in 2005, as Chief Counsel to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship.
Judge O’Connor’s chambers are in Dallas.