Carleton D. Powell (born 1939 in South Carolina) was a special trial judge of the United States Tax Court.
Powell served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army between 1962 and 1964.
From 1967 to 1970, he was employed in various positions by the Internal Revenue Service.
In 1970 he became a Trial Attorney in the Appellate Section of the United States Department of Justice Tax Division; in 1977, he was promoted to a Senior Trial Attorney.
He was appointed as a Special Trial Judge of the U.S. Tax Court on August 25, 1985.