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Jeffrey Sutton

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Jeffrey Sutton
Image of Jeffrey Sutton

Nonpartisan

United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
Tenure

2003 - Present

Years in position

22

Education

Bachelor's

Williams College, 1983

Law

The Ohio State University, Moritz School of Law, 1990


Jeffrey S. Sutton is the chief judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. He joined the court in 2003 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. In 2021, Sutton became chief judge of the court.[1]

Early life and education

Born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Sutton graduated from Williams College with his bachelor's degree in 1983 and from Ohio State University College of Law with his LL.B. in 1990.[1]

Professional career

Judicial career

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Jeffrey S. Sutton
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 720 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: May 9, 2001
ApprovedAABA Rating: Substantial Majority Qualified, Minority Well Qualified
Questionnaire:
ApprovedAHearing: January 29, 2003
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: February 13, 2003 
ApprovedAConfirmed: April 29, 2003
ApprovedAVote: 52-41
DefeatedAReturned: August 3, 2001
November 20, 2002

Sutton was first nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit by President George W. Bush on May 9, 2001, to a seat vacated by Judge David Nelson. The American Bar Association rated Sutton Substantial Majority Qualified, Minority Well Qualified for the nomination.[3] Under Rule XXXI, paragraph six of the standing rules of the Senate, Sutton's nomination was returned to the president on August 3, 2001. President Bush resubmitted Sutton's nomination on September 4, 2001. Under Rule XXXI, paragraph six of the standing rules of the Senate, Sutton's nomination was returned to the president on November 20, 2002. President Bush resubmitted Sutton's nomination on January 7, 2003. Hearings on Sutton's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on January 29, 2003, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on February 13, 2003. Sutton was confirmed on a recorded 52-41 vote of the U.S. Senate on April 29, 2003, and he received his commission on May 5, 2003.[1][4][5][6]

Sutton became chief judge of the court in 2021.[1]

Noteworthy cases

Sixth Circuit finds appointments of agency ALJs invalid (2018)

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit held on July 31, 2018, that the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission’s (FMSHRC) roster of administrative law judges (ALJs) were invalidly appointed. The panel ruled that the FMSHRC’s commissioners, rather than its chief ALJ, must appoint the agency's ALJs pursuant to the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution. The panel consisted of judges Jeffrey Sutton, Deborah Cook, and Ralph Guy.[7][8]

The panel issued the decision in Jones Brothers Inc., Petitioner, v. Secretary of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration; Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, a case on appeal from the FMSHRC concerning a fine issued to Jones Brothers by the Mine Safety and Health Administration for certain safety violations. The panel vacated the FMSHRC’s decision and remanded the case to the agency for new proceedings before a validly appointed ALJ.[7]

The panel opinion cited the United States Supreme Court's decision in Lucia v. SEC, which held that the ALJs of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are inferior officers of the United States who must be appointed by the SEC commissioners, rather than hired by agency staff, in accordance with the Appointments Clause.[7]

Expulsion of unprofessional med student upheld by Sixth Circuit (2015)

Amir Al-Dabagh, a former medical student at Case Western Reserve Medical School, was expelled from the medical school. Though there were allegations of inappropriate behavior, it was not until the university learned of Al-Dabagh’s conviction for DUI in North Carolina that the school decided it would not grant Al-Dabagh a degree, despite his academic qualifications. Though he was ultimately expelled from the school, the university had offered to allow him to withdraw on his own so he could apply to another medical school, an offer which Al-Dabagh refused. He filed a lawsuit, claiming that the university's refusal to grant him a degree was tantamount to bad faith. Al-Dabagh won on the merits at the district court level, but that decision was reversed by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote for the three-judge panel (Sutton, Alice Batchelder and Deborah Cook). He highlighted the fact that professionalism has been important to the medical field for centuries. Further, among the core competencies each degree candidate must meet at Case Western is professionalism, which ranks at number one on the list. Judge Sutton noted that the university’s Committee on Students made an academic judgment when it refused to grant Al-Dabagh a degree and such determinations are given deference unless they are outside of academic norms.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

Articles:

Same-sex marriage ban upheld in Sixth Circuit (2014)
See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit (DeBoer, et al v. Snyder, et al, Case 2:12-cv-10285)

Judge Jeffrey Sutton was the opinion writing judge in DeBoer et al v. Snyder, et al, a case upholding the bans on same-sex marriage in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. In the court's opinion upholding the ban, Sutton based the reversal on allowing states the ability to govern themselves through the democratic process without the fear of a select few judges overruling a decision made by the majority. Sutton stated in his conclusion:

“ Better in this instance, we think, to allow change through the customary political process, in which the people, gay and straight alike, become the heroes of their own stories by meeting each other not as adversaries in a court system but as fellow citizens seeking to resolve a new social issue in a fair-minded way.[9][10] ”

Judge Deborah Cook joined Sutton's opinion.[11]

The dissenting opinion in the 2-1 ruling was written by Martha Daughtrey. She expressed that the three branches of government are equal, and the legislative branch should not be given higher authority over the judicial branch. In her counterargument, Daughtrey stated:

“ Today, my colleagues seem to have fallen prey to the misguided notion that the intent of the framers of the United States Constitution can be effectuated only by cleaving to the legislative will and ignoring and demonizing an independent judiciary. Of course, the framers presciently recognized that two of the three co-equal branches of government were representative in nature and necessarily would be guided by self-interest and the pull of popular opinion. To restrain those natural, human impulses, the framers crafted Article III to ensure that rights, liberties, and duties need not be held hostage by popular whims.[9][10] ”

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that state-level bans on same-sex marriages were unconstitutional.

See also

External links


Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Federal Judicial Center, "Sutton, Jeffrey S.," accessed May 3, 2021
  2. ↑ University of California-Irvine, "Supreme Court Term Review," accessed November 30, 2016
  3. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 107th Congress," accessed November 30, 2016
  4. ↑ United States Congress, "PN 399 — Jeffrey S. Sutton — The Judiciary," accessed November 30, 2016
  5. ↑ United States Congress, "PN 890 — Jeffrey S. Sutton — The Judiciary," accessed November 30, 2016
  6. ↑ United States Congress, "PN 15 — Jeffrey S. Sutton — The Judiciary," accessed November 30, 2016
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, "Jones Brothers Inc., Petitioner, v. Secretary of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration; Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission," July 31, 2018
  8. ↑ Reuters, "6th Circuit says MSHA judges' appointments invalid," July 31, 2018
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, "DeBoer v. Snyder," accessed November 10, 2014
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  11. ↑ SCOTUS Blog, "Sixth Circuit: Now, a split on same-sex marriage," November 6, 2014

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
2003-Present		 Succeeded by
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