[1] On September 11, 1985, McDonald was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington created by 98 Stat.
He assumed senior status on December 13, 1996, serving in that capacity for until his death, in Yakima, on July 26, 2007.
[1] McDonald was accused in the Washington media of making racist jokes about people who appeared in his courtroom.
In introducing a House Resolution condemning the actions of Judge McDonald, Rep. John Conyers (MI-D) stated that he had "made or participated in numerous communications that referred to racial, ethic and religious minorities in demeaning, stereotypical and racist language, including references to Latino defendants and lawyers as 'greasers,' an African-Americans plaintiff as 'impo-tent' and maligning Mormons, Jew and Chinese for corrupt financial practices.
This Washington (state) biographical article is a stub.