Grant Murray Snow (born October 20, 1959) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as Chief U.S. district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Arizona The United States District Court for the District of Arizona (in case citations, D. Ariz.) is the U.S. district court that covers the state of Arizona. It is under the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The District was est ...

. Snow was previously a state court judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals from 2002 to 2008.

Early life and education

Snow was born in

Boulder City Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ( ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. He received a

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 year ...

degree from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

in 1984. He received a Juris Doctor from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 1987.

Legal career

Snow started his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Stephen H. Anderson of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Colorado * District of Kansas * Distr ...

from 1987 to 1988. He was in private practice in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, from 1988 to 2002. He was a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals from 2002 to 2008.

Federal judicial career

Snow was nominated by 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 ...

on December 11, 2007, to a seat vacated by Stephen M. McNamee. He was confirmed by 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 June 26, 2008, and received his commission on July 23, 2008. He became Chief Judge on September 4, 2018.

Notable cases

On May 24, 2013, Snow ruled that the

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is the law enforcement agency that serves Maricopa County, Arizona, and is the largest sheriff's office in Arizona. The MCSO provides patrol services and criminal investigation to unincorporated areas ...

(MCSO), and Maricopa County Sheriff

Joe Arpaio Joseph Michael Arpaio (; born June 14, 1932) is an American former law enforcement officer and politician. He served as the 36th Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona for 24 years, from 1993 to 2017, losing reelection to Democrat Paul Penzone i ...

violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and committed acts of racial profiling against Hispanics. The judge will also preside over the

United States 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 Stat ...

's lawsuit to gain access to MCSO’s documents and facilities, as part of the department’s investigation of alleged discrimination in MCSO’s police practices and jail operations. On January 15, 2015, he announced that he would be bringing civil contempt charges against the MCSO, with a hearing to be held in April, and on August 19, 2016, as one result of those proceedings, he issued an order requesting that the United States Attorney for the Arizona district prosecute Arpaio and three of his MCSO associates for criminal contempt.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, G. Murray 1959 births Living people Brigham Young University alumni J. Reuben Clark Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona People from Boulder City, Nevada United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush 21st-century American judges Politicians from Tempe, Arizona