| Diarmuid O'Scannlain | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 26, 1986 |
|
| Nominated by | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Robert Boochever |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 28, 1937 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | St. John's University Harvard University University of Virginia |
Diarmuid Fionntain O'Scannlain (born March 28, 1937) is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His chambers are located in Portland, Oregon.
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Born in New York, New York, O'Scannlain received a B.A. from St. John's University in 1957, a J.D. from Harvard University in 1963, and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992. He was in the United States Army Reserve, JAG Corps from 1955-78.
In September 1960, O'Scannlain attended the founding conference of Young Americans for Freedom, held at William F. Buckley, Jr.'s estate in Sharon, Connecticut. At that conference O'Scannlain was elected to serve on YAF's original Board of Directors.[1]
He was a tax attorney for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and New York City from 1963-65, and in private practice in Portland, Oregon from 1965 to 1969. He was a Deputy state attorney general of Oregon State Department of Justice from 1969-71, then an Oregon public utility commissioner from 1971-73, and finally Director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality from 1973-74.
In 1974, O'Scannlain was the Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives representing Oregon's 1st congressional district, but lost to Democrat Les AuCoin, the first time the district had ever elected a Democrat.[2]
He returned to private practice in Portland from 1975-86, also working as a consultant to the Office of the President-Elect of the United States from 1980-81, and as a team leader for the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control/Grace Commission from 1982-83. He chaired an advisory panel for the U.S. Secretary of Energy from 1983-85.
On August 11, 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated O'Scannlain to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated by Judge Robert Boochever. O'Scannlain was confirmed by the Senate on September 25, 1986, and received his commission on September 26, 1986.
O'Scannlain is a strong supporter of splitting the Ninth Circuit.[3]
In 2006, he was one of the judges in the panel that upheld the imprisonment of journalist Josh Wolf.[4]
In a controversial March 2010 case, O'Scannlain joined the majority opinion that Seattle police officers did not employ excessive force when they tasered a pregnant woman.[5] He was joined by Judge Cynthia Holcomb Hall in a contested 2–1 decision (judge Marsha Berzon dissented).
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Boochever |
Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1986–present |
Incumbent |