Diarmuid O'Scannlain

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Diarmuid O'Scannlain
Image of Diarmuid O'Scannlain
United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (senior status)
Tenure

2016 - Present

Years in position

8

Prior offices
United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit

Education

Bachelor's

St. John's University, 1957

Graduate

University of Virginia School of Law, 1992

Law

Harvard Law School, 1963

Personal
Birthplace
New York, N.Y.


Diramuid Fionntain O'Scannalin is a federal judge on senior status with the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. He joined the court in 1986 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan.

Early life and education

A native of New York, New York, O'Scannlain earned his B.A. from St. John's University in 1957, his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1963, and his LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992.[1]

Military service

O'Scannlain served in the U.S. Army Reserve JAG Corps from 1955 to 1978.[1]

Professional career

2016-present: Senior judge
1986-2016: Judge

Judicial career

9th Circuit Court of Appeals

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 45 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: August 11, 1986
DefeatedAABA Rating:
Questionnaire:
ApprovedAHearing: September 10, 1986
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: September 19, 1986 
ApprovedAConfirmed: September 25, 1986
ApprovedAVote: Voice vote

O'Scannlain was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit by President Ronald Reagan on August 11, 1986, to a seat vacated by Robert Boochever as Boochever elected to take senior status. Hearings on O'Scannlain's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on September 10, 1986, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) on September 19, 1986. O'Scannlain was confirmed by a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on September 25, 1986, and he received his commission on September 26, 1986. He elected to take senior status beginning December 31, 2016.[1][2]

Awards and associations

  • Chair, Judicial Conference of the United States - Committee on International Judicial Relations, 2010-2014[3]

Noteworthy cases

On July 24, 2018, a three-judge panel ruled in a 2-1 decision that Hawaii violated the Second Amendment by denying plaintiff George Young a permit allowing Young to openly carry a loaded gun in public. The decision reversed a lower court ruling that upheld the state's position that the Second Amendment did not apply in public spaces. Judge O'Scannlain wrote in the ruling, "We do not take lightly the problem of gun violence. But, for better or for worse, the Second Amendment does protect a right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense."[4][5]

See also

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by:
Robert Boochever
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
1986–2016
Succeeded by:
Danielle Hunsaker