Richard Alan Enslen

Who is Richard Alan Enslen?

Richard Alan Enslen is a United States District Court Judge assigned to the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division. His Courtroom is located in the Federal Building in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Enslen was born in Kalamazoo. He served in the United States Air Force, 1951–1954, and graduated from Wayne State University with an LL.B. in 1958. He worked as an assistant trust officer with First National Bank & Trust Company in Kalamazoo in 1958. He served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Costa Rica, 1965-1968. He served as a municipal court judge in Kalamazoo, 1968–1969, and as judge of a Michigan District Court, 1969-1970. When not in public service, he maintained a private law practice in Kalamazoo.

In 1970, Enslen was the Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the race for Michigan's 3rd congressional district seat. He lost in the general election to incumbent Republican Garry E. Brown. He returned to private practice in Kalamazoo, 1970-1979.

Enslen was nominated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter on November 30, 1979, to a seat vacated by Noel Peter Fox on the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 20, 1979, and received his commission on December 21, 1979. Enslen served as chief judge of the court, 1995–2001, and assumed senior status on September 1, 2005.