Scott Joseph Laurer (born 1965) is a retired United States Navy Captain and American lawyer who serves as a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims The United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (in case citations, Vet. App.) is a federal court of record that was established under Article I of the United States Constitution, and is thus referred to as an Article I tribunal (court) ...

Early life

Born as the third of seven children, Scott Laurer grew up in the historical town of Woodbury, N.J. His father served in the Navy during the Korean War era, and his uncle served in the Army in Vietnam. His maternal grandfather worked as a claims investigator for the Yellow Cab company in Philadelphia. He worked with attorneys and talked about his work with the family, sparking Laurer's interest in the field. When he completed a survey in high school to identify his career interests, the top profession recommended for him was an attorney.

Education

As a college student at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Laurer majored in political science. He spoke to a Navy recruiter, asking if it would be possible to attend law school part time while serving in the Navy. The recruiter advised that in the Navy, it was unlikely that he would be stationed in one location long enough to complete a law degree. Judge Laurer’s first goal was to become a lawyer, so he first pursued law school instead. While at Temple University School of Law, he learned for the first time that a person could be an attorney in the Navy. One day, he saw people in military uniforms in the student lounge, who he later learned were judge advocates. In an era before the internet, even the Navy recruiter he spoke to knew little about the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Later, Laurer earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

Temple University Beasley School of Law The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 530 students. Student body Admission for fall 2019 entering class was highly compe ...

, and his

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in International and Comparative Law from the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

."President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees and United States Marshal Nominee" White House, August 28, 2019

Legal career

Laurer served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as Special Counsel to the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

and as a Commanding Officer in the United States Region Legal Service Office for Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. Before becoming a judge, he was Deputy Legal Advisor at the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

Federal judicial service

On August 28, 2019,

President 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 Pe ...

announced his intent to nominate Laurer to serve as a

of the

. On September 19, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Laurer to the seat vacated by Judge Mary J. Schoelen, whose term subsequently expired on December 20, 2019. On November 6, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Two days later, Captain Laurer retired from the U.S. Navy after serving nearly 30 years on active duty with the U.S. Navy JAG Corps. On January 3, 2020, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of 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 ...

. On January 9, 2020, he was renominated to the same seat."Seven Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, January 9, 2020
/ref> On July 23, 2020, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. He received his judicial commission in August 2020.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurer, Scott J. 1965 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges George Washington University Law School alumni United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Rutgers University alumni Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni Trump administration personnel United States Article I federal judges appointed by Donald Trump United States National Security Council staffers United States Navy officers Virginia lawyers