Michael J. Norton is an American attorney who was

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the District of Colorado from 1988 to 1993, and who serves as council for conservative

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

groups.

Education

Norton received his J.D. in 1968 from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

. In 2009, Norton earned a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from

Denver Seminary Denver Seminary is a private, evangelical Christian seminary with its main campus in Littleton, Colorado. It includes a campus in Colorado, an extension campus in Washington, DC, and an online campus. It offers Masters programmes in Arts, D ...

Biography

Norton was nominated as attorney for the District of Colorado on March 24, 1988. As US Attorney, Norton oversaw expanded prosecution of cocaine and crack cocaine infractions during the

crack epidemic The crack epidemic was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the United States throughout the entirety of the 1980s and the early 1990s. This resulted in several social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in Americ ...

. Norton is counsel at Thomas N. Scheffel & Associates P.C. in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, and previously at

Alliance Defending Freedom The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to expand Christian religious practices within public schools and in government. ADF is most known ...

(ADF). Until 2015, he focused on law connected with

opposition to legal abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in response to the legali ...

and opposition to

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

. Norton also currently serves on the board of directors of

Colorado Family Action Colorado Family Action (CFA) was a Christian fundamentalist lobbying organization founded in 2007. It opposed gay marriage or domestic partnership, gay adoption, and adoption by unmarried people. The organization advocated for conversion therapy, ...

, a

Christian fundamentalist Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British an ...

lobbying organization. Norton is married to Jane E. Norton, Colorado Lieutenant Governor from 2003 to 2007. Together, Michael and Jane Norton drafted Colorado Amendment 43. This amendment prohibited

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

in Colorado.

Cases

Michael Norton represented Jack Phillips, a baker whose religious beliefs lead him to decline to make a wedding cake for a gay couple in 2012, at an early stage in Phillips's case. The case ''

Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ''Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission'', 584 U.S. 617 (2018), was a case in the Supreme Court of the United States that addressed whether owners of public accommodations can refuse certain services based on the First Amendmen ...

'' would go before the US Supreme Court.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Michael J. United States attorneys for the District of Colorado 20th-century American lawyers Colorado lawyers American anti-abortion activists American University alumni