Scott Matheson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait,c. 1993 | |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit | |
| Assumed office December 27, 2010 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Michael W. McConnell |
| United States Attorney for theDistrict of Utah | |
| In office 1993–1997 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | David J. Jordan |
| Succeeded by | Paul Warner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Scott Milne Matheson III (1953-07-15)July 15, 1953 (age 72) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Jim Matheson (brother) |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Magdalen College, Oxford (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Scott Milne Matheson Jr. (bornScott Milne Matheson III; July 15, 1953)[1] is an American lawyer and jurist serving since 2010 as aU.S. circuit judge of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.[2]
A native ofSalt Lake City, Matheson graduated fromStanford University, attendedOxford University as aRhodes Scholar, and received hisJuris Doctor degree from theYale Law School. After working in private practice for several years, Matheson became a law professor at theUniversity of UtahS.J. Quinney College of Law, where he served as dean from 1998 to 2006. Matheson was theUnited States attorney for theDistrict of Utah from 1993 to 1997.
Matheson was born and raised inSalt Lake City,Utah. His father,Scott M. Matheson, served asGovernor of Utah from 1977 to 1985,[3] his mother,Norma Matheson, served as First Lady of Utah, and his brother,Jim Matheson, served as aUnited States Representative fromUtah from 2001 to 2015.
Matheson earned aBachelors of Arts degree with distinction fromStanford University in 1975, where he won the Anna Laura Myers Prize for an outstanding undergraduate economics thesis.[4] He then went toMagdalen College, Oxford, as aRhodes Scholar, receiving aBA (promoted to a Master of Arts per tradition) in modern history in 1977.[5] He then attended theYale Law School, where he was a notes editor for theYale Law Journal and graduated with aJuris Doctor in 1980.[5][6]
After graduating from law school, Matheson first worked as his father's campaign manager for the1980 Utah gubernatorial election. In 1981, he entered private practice as anassociate at theWashington, D.C. litigation firmWilliams & Connolly.[4]
In 1985, Matheson joined the faculty of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at theUniversity of Utah. There, Matheson primarily taughtconstitutional law,criminal law, andcivil procedure.[4] Matheson was also extensively involved in law administration and law reform efforts, serving as a vice-chair of the Utah Constitutional Revision Committee, a chair of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence, and a member of the Utah State Bar Commission. Matheson was also involved in efforts to expandlegal aid in Utah, establishing apro bono Initiative at the S.J. Quinney College of Law and serving on the Board of Trustees of the Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake.[4]
During his time as a law professor, Matheson contributed to various other institutions during leaves of absence. From 1988 to 1989, Matheson served as the Deputy County Attorney forSalt Lake County.[5] From 1989 to 1990, Matheson was a visiting professor in the Frank Stanton Chair on the First Amendment atHarvard University'sJohn F. Kennedy School of Government.[4] From 1993 to 1997, Matheson was the United States attorney for the District of Utah.[5]
Matheson served as dean of the S.J. Quinney School of Law from 1998 to 2006.[5] After concluding his deanship, Matheson spent his one-year sabbatical as a Public Policy Scholar at theWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.[5]
From 2007 to 2008, Matheson chaired the Utah Mine Safety Commission, which was formed in response to theCrandall Canyon Mine disaster and charged with improving mine safety and disaster response in the state.[4]
Matheson was also the unsuccessfulDemocratic candidate forGovernor of Utah in 2004, losing toRepublican formerU.S. Deputy Trade RepresentativeJon Huntsman Jr. with 41.4% of the vote.
Matheson is the author of the bookPresidential Constitutionalism in Perilous Times (2009) and numerous law review articles.[7][6]
On March 3, 2010, PresidentBarack Obama nominated Matheson to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to replace JudgeMichael W. McConnell, who resigned in August 2009.[5] Matheson's nomination was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.[8]
However, sources such as theFox News Channel andconservative magazineThe Weekly Standard alleged that Obama hoped to influence Matheson's brother, Rep.Jim Matheson, to vote for thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act. According toThe Salt Lake Tribune, "Rep. Jim Matheson called the claim simply absurd, as did theWhite House,SenatorOrrin Hatch and pretty much everyone who knows the Mathesons."[9]
Hatch, an establishment conservative Republican from Utah, supported Matheson and helped shepherd the nomination through the Senate.[9] On December 22, 2010, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination. Matheson received his judicial commission on December 27, 2010.[6]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Utah 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 2010–present | Incumbent |