M. Margaret McKeown

Margaret McKeown
Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office April 8, 1998
Nominated by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Joseph Farris
Personal details
Born	May 11, 1951 (1951-05-11) (age 60) Casper, Wyoming, United States
Alma mater	University of Wyoming Georgetown University

Mary Margaret McKeown, usually styled as M. Margaret McKeown (born May 11, 1951) is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and is based in San Diego, California. McKeown, a native of Casper, Wyoming, has served on the Ninth Circuit since her confirmation in 1998. McKeown has been noted by some as a possible future United States Supreme Court nominee.^[1][2]

Early life and education

McKeown graduated from Kelly Walsh High School in Casper in 1969.^[3] She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wyoming in 1972, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and her juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1975. She has also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Georgetown and studied at the University of Madrid. Judge McKeown is an adjunct professor at the University of Washington Law School and at the University of San Diego School of Law. She is best known in academia for her work in intellectual property law.

Career before becoming a judge

McKeown was the first female partner with the law firm of Perkins Coie in Seattle, Washington, and Washington, D.C., representing clients like Boeing, Nintendo and Citicorp during her time at the firm, from 1975 until 1998.^[4]

Judge McKeown also served in the White House as a White House fellow under President Jimmy Carter, working as a special assistant to the United States Secretary of the Interior Cecil D. Andrus from 1980 until 1981.^[5]

Ninth Circuit nomination and confirmation

Judge McKeown was nominated for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President Bill Clinton on March 29, 1996 and then renominated by Clinton on January 7, 1997. McKeown was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 27, 1998 by a vote of 80-11. She is currently duty stationed in San Diego, California.^[6] Judge McKeown is on the Board of the Federal Judges Association.

On September 6, 2007, Judge Margaret McKeown penned a judgment (for a three-judge panel) which affirmed a lower court ruling that banned display of the Sunrise Rock cross in the Preserve. She ruled that it was an impermissible governmental endorsement of religion: the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution bars the government from favoring any one religion, as it specifically applied to a white metal Latin cross in the Mojave National Preserve in southern California between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.^{[7][dead link]} The United States Supreme Court has granted writs to review this decision. ^[8]

See also

• Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates

References

1. ^ Ariane de Vogue and Jan Crawford Greenburg, Obama's Potential Supreme Court Nominees, ABC News, (May 5, 2009).
2. ^ Greg Moran, Appeals judge might be on list for Souter's job, The San Diego Union-Tribune, (May 11, 2009).
3. ^ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/05/02/homepage_lead/doc49fbae8d8c546063200074.txt
4. ^ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/05/02/homepage_lead/doc49fbae8d8c546063200074.txt
5. ^ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/05/02/homepage_lead/doc49fbae8d8c546063200074.txt
6. ^ University of San Diego Jurist in Resident Profile
7. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070906/us_nm/usa_religion_cross_dc;_ylt=AlIpc3w006yn9ZUe6iYWodms0NUS
8. ^ Salazar v. Buono, --- S.Ct. ----, 2009 WL 425076, 77 USLW 3243 (U.S. Feb 23, 2009)

External links

• Appellate Counsellor profile of Judge McKeown
• Citation accompanying Judge McKeown's honorary LLD
• Faculty page for the University of San Diego Law School

References

1. ^ Ariane de Vogue and Jan Crawford Greenburg, Obama's Potential Supreme Court Nominees, ABC News, (May 5, 2009).
2. ^ Greg Moran, Appeals judge might be on list for Souter's job, The San Diego Union-Tribune, (May 11, 2009).
3. ^ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/05/02/homepage_lead/doc49fbae8d8c546063200074.txt
4. ^ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/05/02/homepage_lead/doc49fbae8d8c546063200074.txt
5. ^ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/05/02/homepage_lead/doc49fbae8d8c546063200074.txt
6. ^ University of San Diego Jurist in Resident Profile
7. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070906/us_nm/usa_religion_cross_dc;_ylt=AlIpc3w006yn9ZUe6iYWodms0NUS
8. ^ Salazar v. Buono, --- S.Ct. ----, 2009 WL 425076, 77 USLW 3243 (U.S. Feb 23, 2009)

Legal offices
Preceded by Joseph Farris	Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1998–present	Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Mackeown, M. Margaret
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 11, 1951
Place of birth	Casper, Wyoming
Date of death
Place of death