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Terrence O'Brien

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Terrence O'Brien

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United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (senior status)

Tenure

2013 - Present

Years in position

11

Prior offices

United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit

Education

Personal


Terrence L. O'Brien is a federal judge on senior status with the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. He joined the court in 2002 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. He assumed senior status April 30, 2013.[1]

Prior to his nomination, O'Brien served as a judge on the Sixth Judicial District Court of Wyoming.[1]

Early life and education

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, O'Brien earned his B.S. from the University of Wyoming in 1965 and his J.D. from the University of Wyoming Law School in 1972.[1]

Military career

O'Brien served in the U.S. Army's Ordnance Corps from 1966 to 1969.[1]

Professional career

  • 2001-2002: Private practice, Wyoming
  • 2000-2001: President, Visionary Communications, Inc.
  • 1974-1980: Private practice, Wyoming
  • 1972-1974: Staff attorney, Land and Natural Resources Division (Appellate section), U.S. Department of Justice[1]

Judicial career

  • 2013-present: Senior status judge

10th Circuit Court of Appeals

Nomination Tracker

Fedbadgesmall.png

Nominee Information
Name: Terrence L. O'Brien
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 256 days after nomination.
ApprovedNominated: August 2, 2001
ApprovedABA Rating: Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified
Questionnaire:
ApprovedHearing: March 19, 2002
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedReported: April 11, 2002 
ApprovedConfirmed: April 15, 2002
ApprovedVote: 98-0
DefeatedReturned: August 3, 2001

President George W. Bush (R) first nominated O'Brien to the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit August 2, 2001, to a seat vacated by Wade Brorby. Under Rule XXXI, paragraph six, of the standing rules of the U.S. Senate, O'Brien's nomination was returned to the president on August 3, 2001.

President Bush resubmitted O'Brien's nomination September 4, 2001. The American Bar Association rated O'Brien Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified for the nomination.[2] The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on O'Brien's nomination March 19, 2002. U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) reported his nomination April 11, 2002. The U.S. Senate confirmed O'Brien on a recorded 98-0 vote April 15. He received his commission April 16.[1][3][4]

O'Brien retired, assuming senior status, April 30, 2013. He was succeeded in this position by Judge Gregory Alan Phillips.[1]

Noteworthy cases

Oklahoma Sharia Law temporary injunction (2012)

See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (Awad v. Ziriax, et al, 10-6273)

On January 10, 2012, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling by Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, out of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, that said Oklahoma's "Sharia Law" ballot measure was unconstitutional. The decision was released by the panel of Judges Terrence O'Brien, Scott Matheson and Monroe McKay, in which the court

Supported by 70% of the state's population in 2010, the amendment prohibited courts in the state from considering international or Sharia law in deciding cases.[5]

The Tenth Circuit Court disagreed with the supporters of the amendment, who insisted that the measure was intended to disallow courts from considering any religious law in their proceedings. As a response, the opinion states, "That argument conflicts with the amendment's plain language, which mentions sharia law in two places.[6]

Because the amendment was thought to discriminate against a specific religion, in this case, Islam, strict scrutiny was applied to judging its contents. Courts often utilize a higher level of scrutiny when it is concerned a minority is being unfairly treated.[5]

See also

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by:
NA 		Sixth District of Wyoming
1980–2000 		Succeeded by:
Michael N. Deegan
Preceded by:
Wade Brorby 		Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
2002–2013 		Succeeded by:
Gregory Alan Phillips

US-CourtOfAppeals-10thCircuit-Seal.png

v • e

Federal judges who have served the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Active judges

Chief Judge: Jerome HolmesChief Judge: Timothy Tymkovich   •  Allison Eid  •  Harris Hartz  •  Carolyn McHugh  •  Nancy Moritz  •  Robert Bacharach  •  Scott Matheson (Utah)  •  Gregory Alan Phillips  •  Joel Carson  •  Veronica Rossman  •  Richard Federico

Senior judges

Terrence O'Brien  •  Michael R. Murphy (Federal judge)  •  Carlos Lucero  •  Mary Briscoe  •  Paul Kelly (United States Court of Appeals judge)  •  David Ebel  •  Wade Brorby  •  Bobby Baldock  •  Stephen Anderson  •  John Porfilio  •  Stephanie Seymour  •  

Former judges William E. Doyle (Colorado)  •  Neil Gorsuch  •  Robert Henry  •  Deanell Tacha  •  Michael McConnell (federal appeals judge)  •  William Holloway  •  Robert McWilliams  •  James E. Barrett  •  John Hazelton Cotteral  •  Robert E. Lewis (Colorado judge)  •  Robert Williams (Oklahoma)  •  Orie Leon Phillips  •  George Thomas McDermott  •  Sam Gilbert Bratton  •  Alfred Murrah  •  Walter Huxman  •  David Thomas Lewis  •  Jean Breitenstein  •  Delmas Hill  •  John Hickey  •  James Logan  •  John Pickett  •  Oliver Seth  •  
Former Chief judges

Mary Briscoe  •  Robert Henry  •  Deanell Tacha  •  Stephanie Seymour  •  Monroe McKay  •  William Holloway  •  Orie Leon Phillips  •  Sam Gilbert Bratton  •  Alfred Murrah  •  David Thomas Lewis  •  Oliver Seth  •  

George W. Bush

v • e

Federal judges nominated by George W. Bush
2001

Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey

2002

Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson

2003

Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock •

Yeakel
2004

Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson

2005

Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary

2006

Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton

2007

Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu

2008

Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White