Scott W. Skavdahl

Scott W. Skavdahl is an American attorney and jurist who currently serves as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. He was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2011.

Early Life and Education

Skavdahl was born in Wyoming. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wyoming in 1988 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1991.

Legal Career

After graduating from law school, Skavdahl began his legal career in private practice, working for the firm Pence and MacMillan in Laramie, Wyoming, from 1991 to 1992. He then served as a law clerk for Chief Judge William F. Downes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming from 1992 to 1994. Following his clerkship, Skavdahl joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming, where he worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1994 to 2003. In this role, he prosecuted a variety of federal crimes. In 2003, Skavdahl was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Wyoming, a position he held until his elevation to the district court.

Federal Judicial Service

On January 26, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Skavdahl to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the District of Wyoming, to fill the seat vacated by Judge William F. Downes, for whom Skavdahl had previously clerked. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on his nomination on March 9, 2011. On May 19, 2011, the committee reported his nomination to the full Senate. Skavdahl was confirmed by the Senate by unanimous consent on June 6, 2011. He received his judicial commission on June 9, 2011. As a federal district judge, Skavdahl presides over a wide range of civil and criminal cases within his jurisdiction.