Scott M. Matheson, Jr. - CONFIRMED

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

On March 3, 2010, President Obama nominated Scott M. Matheson, Jr. to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. In announcing the nomination, Obama said that Matheson’s “legal and academic credentials are impressive and his commitment to judicial integrity is unwavering.” Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said that he was “pleased” with the nomination and that he has “known Scott a long time, and he is a capable, bright attorney whose experience has prepared him for judicial service.” Hatch also said that he would help “shepherd” Matheson through the confirmation process. If confirmed, Matheson would fill oneof two Tenth Circuit seats historically filled by Utahns.

Biography
Matheson, a sixth-generation Utahn, was born in Salt Lake City in 1953. He received an A.B., with distinction, from Stanford University in 1975, an M.A. from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, in 1977, and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as Note Editor of the Yale Law Journal, in 1980. His family members have been longstanding leaders in state government. His father served as the Governor of Utah from 1977 to 1985 (with Matheson managing both of his father’s campaigns) and his brother currently represents the state in Congress. Matheson himself ran for Governor of Utah in 2004. He and his wife, Robyn, havetwo children.

Professional Experience
Matheson has had a distinguished professional career. Following law school, he worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C. from 1981 to 1985. He subsequently accepted an appointment to the faculty of the S.J. Quinney School of Law at University of Utah, where he has taught ever since. He currently holds the Hugh B. Brown Presidential Endowed Chair in Law, and from 1998 to 2006 he was the law school’s Dean.M atheson has taken several leaves from the University of Utah to work in government and at academic institutions.

» AFJ Report on Scott M. Matheson, Jr. (pdf)