Lyonel Thomas Senter Jr. (1933-2011) is a former United States federal judge.
Born in Fulton, Mississippi, Senter received a B.S. from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1956 and an LL.B. from the University of Mississippi Law School in 1959. He was in private practice in Aberdeen, Mississippi from 1959 to 1968. He was a Monroe county prosecuting attorney of Mississippi from 1960 to 1963. He was a U.S. Commissioner, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi from 1966 to 1968. He was a Circuit judge, First Judicial District of Mississippi from 1968 to 1979.
Senter was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Senter was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on October 11, 1979, to a seat vacated by Orma R. Smith. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 20, 1979, and received his commission on December 21, 1979. He served as chief judge from 1982-1998. He assumed senior status on July 30, 1998 and retired on April 8, 2011. He died May 18, 2011.
He attended the National Judicial College, University of Nevada at Reno.