Idaho Falls attorney confirmed to 9th Circuit Court

Idaho Falls attorney Ryan Nelson has been confirmed as a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The U.S. Senate action came as part of a flurry of judicial appointments approved this week.

According to Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, “Nelson has served as general counsel of Idaho Falls-based Melaleuca, Inc. Before joining Melaleuca, Mr. Nelson served in the Federal government as Special Counsel for Supreme Court nominations to the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; as Deputy General Counsel to the White House 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, Mr. Nelson argued 13 cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals and was division counsel for 50 briefs filed in the Supreme Court. Before joining DOJ, Mr. Nelson practiced in the Washington, DC, 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 law school, Mr. 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. Mr. Nelson earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his J.D., with honors, from BYU Law School, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as a lead articles editor of the BYU Law Review.”

“Nelson developed the necessary tools to serve the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as a sound and principled jurist,” said Senator James Risch. “A native Idahoan, Ryan will bring a valuable perspective to the Court–upholding our way of life, respecting the rule of law, and rejecting judicial activism. I want to congratulate Ryan Nelson on his confirmation.”