Scott Matheson

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Scott Matheson
Current Court Information:
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Title:   Judge
Service:
Appointed by:   Barack Obama
Active:   12/22/2010 - Current
Preceded by:   Michael McConnell
Personal History
Bachelors:   Stanford U. '75
Law School:   Yale Law '80
Graduate School:   Oxford (M.A.)

Contents

Scott M. Matheson, Jr. is a federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He joined the court in 2010 after being nominated by President President Barack Obama. Prior to his appointment, he was a faculty member at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, holdingthe Hugh B. Brown Presidential Endowed Chair.[1]

Federal court nomination

Matheson was nominated for a seat on the Tenth Circuit by President Barack Obama on March 3, 2010. Matheson will fill the seat vacated by Michael McConnell. [2]The President called Matheson "a distinguished candidate for the Tenth Circuit court. Both his legal and academic credentials are impressive and his commitment to judicial integrity is unwavering. I am honored to nominate this lifelong Utahn to the federal bench." [3]

Matheson received a rating of "Unanimously Qualified" from the American Bar Association. [4]

Judiciary Committee hearing

Matheson's Public Questionnaire Available Here
Questions for the Record Available Here

Matheson had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 13, 2010. He was questioned closely by Senator Jon Kyl over his opinion on presidential authority, but faced little questioning from the rest of the committee. [5] Matheson was reported by committee on June 10, 2010. [4]

Matheson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 22, 2010.[6]

Early life and education

Matheson earned his A.B. in 1975 from Stanford University, his M.A. from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and his J.D. in 1980 from Yale Law School. [3]

Personal life

Matheson is the son of former Utah Governor Scott Matheson Sr., and the brother of Utah State Representative Jim Matheson. [7]

Professional career

  • Associate attorney at Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, D.C., 1981 - 1985
  • Faculty with the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, 1985 - 1998
  • Deputy County Attorney for Salt Lake County, 1988 - 1989
  • Taught First Amendment Law at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, 1989 - 1990
  • Dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, 1998 - 2006
  • United States Attorney for the District of Utah, 1993 - 1997
  • Democratic candidate for Utah Governor, 2004
  • Chair of the Utah Mine Safety Commission, 2007 [3][7]

Awards and associations

Notable cases

Oklahoma Sharia Law temporary injunction

  United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
     *Awad v. Ziriax, et al 10-6273
On January 10, 2012, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals released an anticipated ruling. The decision by the panel of Judges Terrence O'Brien, Scott Matheson and Monroe McKay, upheld a previous ruling by Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, out of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, that said Oklahoma's "Sharia Law" ballot measure was unconstitutional. Supported by 70% of the state's population in 2010, the amendment prohibited courts in the state from considering international or Sharia law in deciding cases. [8]

The Tenth Circuit Court disagreed with the supporters of the amendment, who insisted that the measure was intended to disallow courts from considering any religious law in their proceedings. As a response, the opinion states, "That argument conflicts with the amendment's plain language, which mentions sharia law in two places."[9]

Because the amendment was thought to discriminate against a specific religion, in this case, Islam, strict scrutiny was applied to judging its contents. Courts often utilize a higher level of scrutiny when it is concerned a minority is being unfairly treated. [8]

Judicial philosophy

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Deseret News "Obama names Scott Matheson Jr. to 10th Circuit Court of Appeals", March 3, 2010
  2. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune "Scott Matheson named to 10th Circuit appellate court", March 4, 2010
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 White House Press Release "President Obama Nominates Scott M. Matheson, Jr. to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit", March 3, 2010
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Judicial Nomination Materials
  5. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune "Senate judiciary panel heaps praise on Matheson nomination", May 14, 2010
  6. ↑ Deseret News, "Scott Matheson confirmed by Senate to 10th Circuit Court of Appeals," December 22, 2010
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 KSL.com "Obama nominates Scott Matheson Jr. to court of appeals", March 3, 2010
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 ABAJournal.com, "10th Circuit Says Federal Judge Got It Right, Correctly Blocked Okla. Voter Ban on Shariah Law," January 10, 2012
  9. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Appeals court affirms order blocking Oklahoma sharia law ban," January 10, 2012


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