On March 11, 1982, Coyle was nominated by President
Ronald Reagan to a seat on the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California vacated by Judge
Myron Donovan Crocker. Coyle was confirmed by the
United States Senate on March 31, 1982, and received his commission on April 1, 1982. He served as Chief Judge from 1990 to 1996, assuming
senior status on May 13, 1996. He served in that status until his death on May 7, 2012, in Fresno. ==References==