Michael Yale Scudder Jr. (born January 9, 1971) is a
United States circuit judge
In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:
* Central District of Illinois
* Northern District of ...
.
Education and legal career
In 1989, Scudder graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School in
Fort Wayne,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. Scudder received his
Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...
from
Saint Joseph's College as co-
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
, and his
Juris Doctor in 1998 ''
magna cum laude'' from the
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law scho ...
, where he was inducted into the
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...
. Scudder worked as an auditor for
Ernst and Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...
before attending law school and is a
Certified Public Accountant.
Following law school, Scudder served as a
law clerk for Judge
Paul V. Niemeyer
Paul Victor Niemeyer (born April 5, 1941) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
E ...
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* District of Maryland ...
from 1998 to 1999, and then for Justice
Anthony Kennedy
Anthony McLeod Kennedy (born July 23, 1936) is an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1988 until his retirement in 2018. He was nominated to the court in 1987 by Presid ...
of the
Supreme Court of the United States from 1999 to 2000.
Following his clerkships, he first worked as an attorney for two years at
Jones Day in
Cleveland, Ohio. He then served as:
Assistant United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York State. Two of these are in New York City: New ...
from 2002 to 2006; counsel to the
National Security team of the
U.S. Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
in 2006; associate counsel to President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in the
White House Counsel
The White House counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Of ...
's office in 2007; and as the
general counsel
A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.
In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
of the
National Security Council from 2007 to 2009.
He served as a partner of
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1948, the firm consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms by revenue. The company is known for its wor ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
from 2009 to 2018.
Additionally, he has taught at the Pritzker Law School and at the
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dis ...
.
["President Donald J. Trump Announces Eleventh Wave of Judicial Nominees" White House, February 12, 2018]
Federal judicial service
On February 12, 2018, President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
announced his intent to nominate Scudder to a seat on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:
* Central District of Illinois
* Northern District of ...
. On February 15, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Scudder to the seat vacated by Judge
Richard Posner
Richard Allen Posner (; born January 11, 1939) is an American jurist and legal scholar who served as a federal appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1981 to 2017. A senior lecturer at the University of Chic ...
, who retired on September 2, 2017. On March 21, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before the
Senate Judiciary Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...
. On April 19, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 21–0 vote. On May 14, 2018, the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
confirmed his nomination by a 90–0 vote. Scudder received his commission on May 21, 2018.
Personal life
On July 3, 1993, Scudder married Sarah Rose Schoenle in
Allen County, Indiana
Allen County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 385,410, making it the third-most populous county in Indiana. The county seat and largest city is Fort Wayne, the second largest city in Indiana ...
. Scudder once served as vice chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Catholic Charities,
Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...
.
See also
*
References
External links
*
*
Biography at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scudder, Michael Y.
1971 births
Living people
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American judges
American accountants
Assistant United States Attorneys
George W. Bush administration personnel
Illinois lawyers
Illinois Republicans
Jones Day people
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law faculty
People from Fort Wayne, Indiana
Saint Joseph's College (Indiana) alumni
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom people
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Donald Trump
United States Department of Justice lawyers
University of Chicago Law School faculty