Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Scott Rash
Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!
2020 - Present
5
Scott Hugh Rash is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. He was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on October 15, 2019. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rash on May 19, 2020, by a vote of 74-20. To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the District of Arizona is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Rash was a judge on the Pima County Superior Court from 2010 to 2020.
Judicial nominations, appointments, and elections
United States District Court for the District of Arizona (2020-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On October 15, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Rash to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.[1] He was confirmed by a 74-20 vote of the U.S. Senate on May 19, 2020.[2] Rash received commission on May 27, 2020.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Scott Rash |
| Court: United States District Court for the District of Arizona |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 217 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: October 15, 2019
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously well qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: December 4, 2019
|
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: January 16, 2020
|
| Confirmed: May 19, 2020
|
| Vote: 74-20
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Rash on May 19, 2020, on a vote of 74-20.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Scott Rash confirmation vote (May 19, 2020) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
22 | 20 | 3 | ||||||
 Republican |
51 | 0 | 2 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 74 | 20 | 6 | ||||||
Change in Senate rules
Rash was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.
On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[4]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[5]
It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[6] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Rash's nomination on December 4, 2019.[7] Rash was reported to the full Senate on January 16, 2020, after a 16-6 committee vote.[8]
Nomination
On September 12, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Rash to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.[9] The president officially nominated Rash on October 15, 2019.[1]
Rash was nominated to succeed Jude Cindy Jorgenson, who assumed senior status April 6, 2018.[1]
Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) said of the nomination, "Rash is a highly respected judge on the Pima County Superior Court and will make an excellent federal judge."[10]
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Rash well qualified for the position.[11] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Pima County Superior Court (2010-2020)
- See also: Judges appointed by Jan Brewer
Rash became a judge on the Pima County Superior Court in Arizona in 2010. He was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer (R) in September 2010 to succeed Nanette N. Warner.[12][13] He was retained in 2012 and in 2016.[14]
2016 election
Arizona held elections for 80 superior court judgeships on November 8, 2016. Sixty-three of those seats were up for retention election. Three counties—Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal—use retention elections for their superior courts.[15]
| Pima County Superior Court, Scott Rash Retention Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Scott Rash | 76.28% | |
| Source: Pima County, Arizona, "2016 Pima General Election," November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
2012 election
Rash was retained to the superior court with 77.89 percent of the vote in the general election on November 6th.[14]
Early life and education
Rash was born in 1963 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received his undergraduate degree (B.S.B.A.), with highest honors, from the University of Arizona in 1985. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1991.[16]
Professional career
- 2020-present: Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
- 2010-2020: Judge, Pima County Superior Court, Arizona
- 2016-2020: Family Law Bench
- 2017-2020: Presiding family law judge
- 2012-2016: Criminal bench
- 2010-2012: Civil bench
- 2016-2020: Family Law Bench
- 1999-2010: Shareholder, Gabroy, Rollman & Bosse in Tucson
- 1992-1999: Assistant attorney general, Arizona Attorney General’s Office
- 1989-1991: Instructor, Becker C.P.A. Review[16]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 1999: Multi Law Enforcement Agency Recognition Award
- 1994: Department of Public Safety Appreciation Award[16]
Associations
- American Judicature Society
- Arizona Judge's Association
- Arizona State Bar Association
- The Federalist Society
- Pima County Bar Association[16]
About the court
| District of Arizona |
|---|
| Ninth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 13 |
| Judges: 13 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Jennifer Zipps |
| Active judges: Susan Brnovich, Sharad Desai, John Hinderaker, Diane Humetewa, Krissa Lanham, Dominic Lanza, Michael Liburdi, Steven Logan, Rosemary Marquez, Angela Martinez, Scott Rash, John Tuchi, Jennifer Zipps Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the District of Arizona is one of 94 United States district courts. Cases are heard in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and Prescott. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in downtown San Francisco at the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse. Initial appeals are heard at the Richard Chambers Federal Courthouse in Pasadena, California.
The jurisdiction of the District of Arizona consists of all the counties in the state of Arizona. Court is held in the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma and Prescott.
The District of Arizona has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the District of Arizona
- United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
- Arizona Superior Courts
- Pima County, Arizona
- Courts in Arizona
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- LinkedIn profile
- United States District Court for the District of Arizona
- United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
- Pima County Superior Court
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 WhiteHouse.gov, "Twenty-five Nominations and Three Withdrawals Sent to the Senate," October 15, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Congress.gov, "PN1174 — Scott H. Rash — The Judiciary," accessed May 20, 2020
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Rash, Scott Hugh," accessed May 29, 2020
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Nominations," December 4, 2019
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of the Executive Business Meeting," January 16, 2020
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," September 12, 2019
- ↑ Martha McSally, U.S. Senator for Arizona, "McSally Commends Nomination of Scott Rash to Arizona District Court," September 13, 2019
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees: 116th Congress," accessed December 4, 2019
- ↑ Office of the Governor "Governor Jan Brewer Announces Appointment of Superior Court Judges in Pima County," September 1, 2010
- ↑ Arizona Daily Star, "Brewer selects Adam, Rash to be Pima County judges," September 2, 2010
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Pima County, Arizona, "Election Summary Report 2012 General Election," November 19, 2012
- ↑ Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, "JPR Vote Results: Vote Meeting," June 24, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: Scott Hugh Rash," accessed December 18, 2019
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the District of Arizona 2020-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Pima County Superior Court Division 20 2010-2020 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove • Edward Artau • Kyle Dudek | ||
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Arizona • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Arizona
State courts:
Arizona Supreme Court • Arizona Court of Appeals • Arizona Superior Court • Arizona Justice Courts • Arizona Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Arizona • Arizona judicial elections • Judicial selection in Arizona
