Idaho Falls attorney to appear for judicial confirmation hearings

Idaho Falls Attorney Ryan Nelson will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday for his judicial confirmation hearing.

Nelson was nominated by President Trump to replace Judge Randy Smith on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo will chair the hearing. Senator Jim Risch will introduce and recommend Nelson to the committee.

The hearing is scheduled for 8 a..m. Mountain Time.

“Ryan has a demonstrated background of diverse legal service and a deep understanding of the important legal issues before our nation. His wealth of experience and personal life-long understanding of Idaho will serve him well on the bench,” said Crapo. I look forward to Ryan having a chance to tell his story to my colleagues as they consider his background and capability to serve our nation in this prestigious position.”

Since 2009, Nelson has served as General Counsel of Idaho Falls-based Melaleuca, Inc. Before joining Melaleuca, Nelson served in as Special Counsel for Supreme Court nominations on the Republican staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee; as Deputy General Counsel at the Office of Management and Budget; and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

At DOJ, Nelson argued 13 cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals and was counsel for 50 briefs filed in the Supreme Court. Before joining DOJ, Nelson practiced in the Washington, D.C., office of Sidley Austin LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s appellate, litigation, products liability, and religious liberties practice groups.

Upon graduation from BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School, Nelson served as a law clerk to Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and to Judges Charles Brower and Richard Mosk of the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal at The Hague. Nelson earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his J.D., with honors from BYU’s law school, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as a lead articles editor of the BYU Law Review.

The hearing will be live-streamed on the Judiciary Committee’s website.