Scott W. Skavdahl

Scott Wesley Skavdahl (born December 17, 1966) is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming.

Scott W. Skavdahl
Skavdahl in 2021
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming
Assumed office
June 1, 2018
Preceded byNancy D. Freudenthal
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming
Assumed office
November 7, 2011
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byWilliam F. Downes
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming
In office
2011 – November 7, 2011
In office
2001–2003
Personal details
Born
Scott Wesley Skavdahl

(1966-12-17) December 17, 1966
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Wyoming (BS, JD)

Biography

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, graduating high school at Sioux County High School, Skavdahl received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1989 from the University of Wyoming. He received his Juris Doctor in 1992 from the University of Wyoming College of Law. At the University of Wyoming, Skavdahl was an active member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Skavdahl worked as a litigation associate at Brown & Drew (now Brown, Drew & Massey) from 1992 to 1994. From 1994 to 1997, Skavdahl served as a judicial law clerk to Chief Judge William F. Downes of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. From 1997 to 2003, Skavdahl worked at the law firm of Williams, Porter, Day & Neville. From 2001 to 2003 he worked as a part-time United States magistrate judge. In 2003, Skavdahl became a judge on the Seventh Judicial District Court, in Casper, Wyoming upon appointment by Governor Dave Freudenthal. On January 31, 2011 Skavdahl left the state bench to once more become a full-time United States magistrate judge.[1][2]

Federal judicial service

In November 2010, Governor Dave Freudenthal recommended Skavdahl to fill the Wyoming vacancy that was to be created when Judge William F. Downes retired on July 24, 2011.[3] On February 16, 2011, President Barack Obama formally nominated Skavdahl.[4] On September 8, 2011, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported his nomination to the Senate floor by a voice vote. On November 3, 2011, the Senate confirmed him by a 96–0 vote.[5] He received his commission on November 7, 2011.[2] He became chief judge on June 1, 2018 succeeding Nancy D. Freudenthal.[6]

Notable case

In a June 21, 2016, decision, Skavdahl held that Congress did not authorize the Bureau of Land Management to regulate hydraulic fracturing. The BLM's "Oil and Gas; Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal and Indian Lands; Final Rule" (43 CFR Part 3160) sought to set standards for wellbore construction, chemical disclosure, and water management for hydraulic fracturing on federal and tribal lands. He rejected the BLM's reliance on longstanding land management statutes as authorizing the rule. Instead, he looked to the statute that regulated hydraulic fracturing in its 2005 Energy Policy Act. There, Congress deprived the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) except when diesel fuels are used. The court reasoned that Congress had not indirectly conferred far broader authority on the BLM via general land management statutes than it had given directly on the EPA.[7]

References
  1. "Skavdahl to become magistrate judge". Billings Gazette. September 24, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  2. Scott W. Skavdahl at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  3. "Freudenthal nominates 3 for judgeship". Billings Gazette. November 4, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  4. Office of the Press Secretary, White House (February 16, 2011). "President Obama Names Two to the United States District Court, 2/16/2011". White House. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  5. "On the Nomination (Scott Wesley Skavdahl, of Wyoming, to be U.S. District Judge)". November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  6. "NOTICE OF NEW CHIEF JUDGE" (PDF) (Press release). United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. June 1, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  7. Federal Judge Strikes Down Obama Administration's Fracking Rules, National Public Radio, Camila Domonoske, June 22, 2016. Retrieved 25, 2016.
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