Crapo Votes to Advance Nelson Nomination to Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined with committee colleagues to advance the nomination of Ryan Nelson to the full Senate for consideration.  An attorney from Idaho Falls and sixth-generation Idahoan, Nelson has been nominated by President Trump to serve as a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Today’s vote follows a July 11 nomination hearing, chaired by Crapo, where Nelson was introduced by Risch and answered questions about his background by members of the Committee as part of his confirmation process. 

“I thank the committee for joining me in voting to send Ryan’s nomination to the full Senate.  Ryan is widely recognized by his peers for his judgement and legal acumen and will serve our nation well once he his confirmed to the Ninth Circuit,” said Crapo following the vote.  “I look forward to seeing Ryan’s nomination come before the full Senate, where I will strongly advocate for his confirmation." 

“With today’s favorable committee vote, Ryan Nelson is one step closer to becoming  a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Senator Risch. “Ryan’s experience and background make him an excellent fit for this position and I look forward to supporting his nomination on the Senate floor.” 

Since 2009, Ryan Nelson has served as general counsel of Idaho Falls-based Melaleuca, Inc. Before joining Melaleuca, Mr. Nelson served in the Federal government as Special Counsel for Supreme Court nominations to the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; as Deputy General Counsel to the White House Office of Management and Budget; and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). At DOJ, Mr. Nelson argued 13 cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals and was division counsel for 50 briefs filed in the Supreme Court. Before joining DOJ, Mr. Nelson practiced in the Washington, DC, office of Sidley Austin LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s appellate, litigation, products liability, and religious liberties practice groups. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Nelson served as a law clerk to Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and to Judges Charles Brower and Richard Mosk of the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal at The Hague. Mr. Nelson earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his J.D., with honors, from BYU Law School, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as a lead articles editor of the BYU Law Review. 

Nelson’s nomination will now be taken up by the full Senate on a schedule to be announced later by the Senate Majority Leader. 

# # #