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Morgan Christen
2012 - Present
13
Morgan Brenda Christen is a federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. She joined the court in 2011 after a nomination from President Barack Obama. At the time of her nomination, she was a justice on the Alaska Supreme Court, a post she held from 2009 until her confirmation.[1][2]
Early life and education
A native of Chehalis, Washington, Christen began her collegiate coursework at Richmond College in London in 1979. She then studied at the American College of Switzerland in 1980. She continued her studies at Nanjing University, People's Republic of China, in 1982. She earned her undergraduate degree in International Studies from the University of Washington in 1983. She went on to receive her J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1986.[3][4][5]
Professional career
- 2009-2011: Justice, Alaska Supreme Court
- 2002-2009: Judge, Alaska Superior Court
- 2005-2009: Presiding judge, Alaska Superior Court
- 1987-2002: Private practice, Anchorage, Alaska
- 1986-1987: Law clerk, Hon. Brian Shortell, Alaska Superior Court[3][5]
Judicial career
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Morgan Christen |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 211 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: May 18, 2011
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: July 13, 2011
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: September 8, 2011
|
| Confirmed: December 15, 2011
|
| Vote: 95-3
|
Christen was nominated on May 18, 2011, to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit by President Barack Obama to a seat vacated by Judge Andrew Kleinfeld, who assumed senior status.[6] President Obama commented on the nomination, stating, "I am proud to nominate this outstanding candidate to serve on the United States Court of Appeals. I am confident Justice Morgan Christen will serve the American people with integrity and distinction."[7] The American Bar Association rated Christen Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination.[8]
Christen's nomination was hotly contested due to her role as a former board member of Planned Parenthood. However, her nomination was supported by both senators from Alaska. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski told the press:
| “ | Over the course of a decade on the bench she has a track record of impartial, intelligent and fair judgments that demonstrate respect for the rule of law and the role of the judiciary in our democratic system. She is a valuable asset to the Alaska legal community and I will support her wholeheartedly through the confirmation process.[9][10] | ” |
Hearings were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on July 13, 2011, and her nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on September 8, 2011. She was confirmed on a recorded 95-3 vote of the United States Senate on December 15, 2011, and she received her commission on January 11, 2012.[5][11]
Noteworthy cases
Law firm wins rights to George Clinton songs (2014)
The Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision to require musician George Clinton to sign over rights to certain songs to a law firm. The law firm had a judgment against Clinton for unpaid legal fees. After Clinton failed to pay, the firm sought a court’s help in executing on the judgment and requested the copyright to four songs.
Clinton argued that his work was protected from involuntary transfer because the songs were exempt under Section 201(e) of the Copyright Act. That provision states that intellectual property cannot be unwillingly taken from an author if he or she has never transferred that property previously. A lower court found that the author of the songs was not, in fact, George Clinton; the author was actually Warner Bros. Clinton wrote and recorded the songs as part of a work-for-hire arrangement with the studio. He later sued and obtained the copyrights to the songs as an assignee, not an author. As a result, the lower court said the songs had been transferred previously by the author, Warner Bros., and were no longer protected by the provision in the Copyright Act.
Clinton appealed the lower court’s ruling, and a three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit affirmed. Judge Morgan Christen wrote for the panel, stating that the rights in the songs were Clinton’s personal property, even if he was not the author, and were therefore eligible to be seized to satisfy a judgment.
Articles:
Awards and associations
Awards
- Light of Hope Award
- American Jurisprudence Award, Evidence
- American Jurisprudence Award, Constitutional Law
- Athena Society Award, Chamber of Commerce
- Community Outreach Award, Alaska Supreme Court, 2008
- Philanthropist of the Year, 2004[4]
Associations
- Member, Anchorage Downtown Rotary, 1992-Present
- Board Member, Alaska Community Foundation, 2005-Present
- Board Member, Rasmuson Foundation, 2004-Present
- Former Board Member, United Way of Anchorage
- Former Board Member, Big Brothers, Big Sisters
- Former Big Sister, Big Brothers, Big Sisters
- Former Member, Anchorage Association of Women Attorneys
- Former Board Member, Planned Parenthood[12][4]
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Christen received a campaign finance score of -0.18, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.11 that justices received in Alaska.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[13]
See also
- United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
- Supreme Weekly: Morgan Christen nominated to Ninth Circuit, May 19, 2011
- News: Justices Christen and Gleason nominated for federal judgeship, July 18, 2011
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Law.com, "Senate Confirms Obama Nominee to Ninth Circuit," December 15, 2011
- ↑ MetNews, "U.S. Senate Confirms Morgan Christen to Ninth Circuit Seat," December 16, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedajc - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmc - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Federal Judicial Center, "Biographical directory of federal judges," accessed July 9, 2016
- ↑ The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," May 18, 2011
- ↑ The White House, "President Obama Nominates Justice Morgan Christen for the United States Court of Appeals," May 18, 2011
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 112th Congress," accessed July 9, 2016
- ↑ LifeNews.com, "Obama Makes Ex-Planned Parenthood Board Member Appeals Judge," 12/19/2011
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 555 - Morgan Christen - The Judiciary," accessed July 9, 2016
- ↑ KTUU "Judge removes self from case after conflict of interest allegation," May 13, 2010
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by - |
United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit 2012-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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| Nominated | |||
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Alaska • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Alaska
State courts:
Alaska Supreme Court • Alaska Court of Appeals • Alaska Superior Court • Alaska District Court
State resources:
Courts in Alaska • Alaska judicial elections • Judicial selection in Alaska
