Robert James Shelby (born March 13, 1970)
is an American attorney and judge serving as the
Chief United States district judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Utah.
Early life and education
Shelby was born in
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.
He served in the 19th Special Forces Group, 1457th
Combat Engineer Battalion
An Engineer Combat Battalion (ECB) was a designation for a battalion-strength combat engineer unit in the U.S. Army, most prevalent during World War II. They are a component of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Also known as "Combat ...
of the
Utah Army National Guard
The Utah National Guard comprises both Army and Air National Guard components. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. The National Guard is the only United States milita ...
from 1988 to 1996, and was on active duty during
Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He received several military awards for his service, including the United States Army Achievement Medal for Desert Storm and the National Defense Service Medal.
He received his
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1994 from
Utah State University and his
Juris Doctor in 1998 from the
University of Virginia School of Law.
Career
In 1999, he served as a
law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...
for Judge
John Thomas Greene Jr. of the
United States District Court for the District of Utah. He was an associate at Snow, Christensen & Martineau in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...
from 2000 to 2005. From 2005 to 2011, he was an associate at Burbridge, Mitchell & Gross. From 2011 to 2012, he again practiced at Snow, Christensen & Martineau as a
shareholder. His practice focused on complex
commercial litigation and catastrophic
personal injury cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.
Shelby served on the Salt Lake County Bar Association's Executive Committee since 2002, and as its vice chairman since 2011. He served on the Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure and its Ethics and Discipline Committee.
He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Angela, and their two children.
He is a registered Republican.
Federal judicial service
On November 30, 2011, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
nominated Shelby to be district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah,
to the seat vacated by Judge
Tena Campbell, who assumed senior status on January 1, 2011. He received a hearing before the
Senate Judiciary Committee on March 28, 2012, and his nomination was reported to the floor on April 26, 2012, by
voice vote. Both Senators from Utah,
Orrin Hatch and
Mike Lee
Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Lee began his career as a clerk for the ...
, endorsed his nomination, with Sen. Lee describing Shelby as "pre-eminently qualified" and predicting that he would be "an outstanding judge." Hatch highly lauded Shelby: "A man of keen intellect, Robert Shelby...has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the law". In the early hours of September 22, 2012, on what was officially still the legislative day of September 21, the Senate confirmed Shelby in a
voice vote. He received his commission on September 25, 2012.
He became chief judge on October 1, 2018.
Notable decisions
*On December 20, 2013, Shelby struck down
Amendment 3 of
Utah’s
State Constitution, which defined marriage as a union solely between a man and a woman, opening the way for
same-sex marriage in the state. He found that Amendment 3 was in violation of the
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nationa ...
’s
14th Amendment, which guarantees due process and equal protection. This highly significant ruling set off a series of other district court decisions that overturned bans in several other states. His ruling was affirmed by the
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
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 ...
on June 25, 2014. On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined the review the Tenth Circuit's ruling,
legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelby, Robert James
1970 births
Living people
21st-century American judges
Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Utah
People from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
University of Utah faculty
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Utah lawyers
Utah Republicans
Utah State University alumni