David Charles Nye (born October 10, 1958) is an American lawyer and jurist who is the chief United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Idaho The United States District Court for the District of Idaho (in case citations, D. Idaho) is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Idaho (except for the part of the state within Yellowstone National Park, which is un ...

. He was a state court judge for

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

's Sixth District Court from 2007 to 2017, and before that spent twenty years in private practice in Idaho.

Early life and education

Nye was born in 1958 in

Lynwood, California Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 67,265, down from 69,772 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Lynwood is located nea ...

. He graduated from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) in 1982 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. He worked for

Swire Swire Group ( zh, t=太古集團) is a highly diversified global conglomerate with its parent company being John Swire & Sons Limited that holds controlling stakes in a range of businesses trading in the UK, USA, Australia, Papua New Guinea, ...

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

bottling plant in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, then attended BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School, graduating in 1986 with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree.

Career

Nye began his legal career in 1986 in

Burley, Idaho Burley () is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, Cassia and Minidoka County, Idaho, Minidoka counties in southern Idaho, United States. The population was 11,704 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 10,345 in 2010 United States cen ...

as a

law clerk A law clerk, judicial clerk, or judicial assistant is a person, often a lawyer, who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by Legal research, researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial ...

to Judge George G. Granata of the state's Fifth District Court. The following year, he joined the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

of Merrill & Merrill in

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, containing the city's airport. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metro ...

as an associate. He became a partner in 1989, specialized in

medical malpractice Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...

and

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

law, and stayed with the firm until 2007. In 2007, Nye became a judge in the Sixth Judicial District and presided over civil and criminal matters for ten years.

Federal judicial service

Expired nomination under Obama

On the recommendation of U.S. Senators

Mike Crapo Michael Dean Crapo ( ; born May 20, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Rep ...

and

Jim Risch James Elroy Risch ( ; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors ...

, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

nominated Nye on April 5, 2016, to serve as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho. Nye was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge

Edward Lodge Edward James Lodge (born December 3, 1933) is an inactive senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho in Boise, Idaho. Education Born in Caldwell, Idaho, Lodge graduated from Caldwell High ...

, who assumed senior status on July 3, 2015. The

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

held a hearing on his nomination on June 21, 2016, and his nomination was reported out of committee by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by 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 respondin ...

on July 14. The nomination expired on January 3, 2017, with the end of the 114th Congress. Shortly after the

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

election, Senators Crapo and Risch indicated that if Nye was not confirmed by year's end, they would recommend him to incoming President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

for renomination in the 115th Congress.

Renomination under Trump

On April 27, 2017, Senators Crapo and Risch indicated that President Trump would renominate Nye to the same seat, and his renomination was announced on May 8, 2017. Nye was unanimously rated as "well qualified" by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

, as he had been from his previous nomination in 2016. On June 15, 2017, his nomination was reported out of committee by a

. On July 10, 2017, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 97–0 vote. On July 12, 2017, his nomination was confirmed by a 100–0 vote. Nye received his commission the same day. He was sworn in on August 1, 2017 in a private ceremony. He became chief judge on January 2, 2019, succeeding

B. Lynn Winmill Barry Lynn Winmill (born March 18, 1952) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho. Early life and education Born and raised in Blackfoot, Idaho, Winmill grew up on a dairy farm.

."Chief Judges to step down as the chiefs after a combined 33 years of service", United States District Court for the District of Idaho, December 21, 2018
/ref>

References

External links

*
Biography at District of Idaho
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nye, David 1958 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Idaho lawyers Idaho state court judges Brigham Young University alumni J. Reuben Clark Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho Latter Day Saints from Idaho People from Lynwood, California United States district court judges appointed by Donald Trump