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Brian Morris (judge)

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For other people named Brian Morris, see Brian Morris.

Brian Morris
Official portrait, 2014
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 19, 2020
Preceded byDana L. Christensen
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 17, 2013
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded bySam E. Haddon
Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
In office
January 2, 2005 – December 17, 2013
Preceded byJim Regnier
Succeeded byJim Shea
Personal details
Born
Brian Matthew Morris

(1963-09-05) September 5, 1963 (age 61)
Butte, Montana, U.S.
EducationStanford University (BA, MA, JD)

Brian Matthew Morris (born September 5, 1963) is an American attorney who serves as the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana. He is a former justice of the Montana Supreme Court, having been elected in 2004.[1][2] Morris successfully retained his position in the 2012 election.[3] He is also a former fullback for the Stanford Cardinal football team.[4]

Early life and education

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Born in Butte, Montana,[1][2] to John and Joan Morris, Brian Morris graduated from Butte Central Catholic High School, where he was an All-State athlete who competed in football, track, and basketball.[5] As a senior in the 1981–1982 academic year, he led the football team to the 1981 state championship game[5] and set school records by rushing 1,640 yards and making 236 carries for 1,732 total yards. In track, he was the 1982 state champion in both intermediate and high hurdles in the high school's first state championship in track.[4][6]

Earning a scholarship to Stanford University, Morris was a four-year letterman on the Stanford Cardinal football team[7] and was the team's starting fullback in the 1986 Gator Bowl.[4] In the Gator Bowl, Morris made three carries for 12 rushing yards and made 3 receptions for 6 yards.[8] In his junior and senior years, he was honorable mention all-Pacific-10 Conference and first team all-academic Pac-10.[4] With 12 pass receptions against UCLA in 1985, Morris is one of the Cardinal's all-time single-game pass reception leaders.[9] Morris earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1986 and his Master of Arts in 1987.[1][2][4] As one of only eight students in the United States to earn the NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, Morris earned his Juris Doctor with distinction from Stanford Law School in 1992.[1][2][4][10][11][6]

Career

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After completing law school, Morris was a law clerk to Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and then to United States Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.[1][2][10][6] Morris is the only member of the Montana State Bar to have been a Supreme Court law clerk.[6][12]

In 1995, he joined the Iran – United States Claims Tribunal at the World Court, The Hague, Netherlands, to be a legal assistant. Returning to Montana, Morris was in private practice in Bozeman from 1995 until 1999. He went on to be a legal officer at the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva, Switzerland.[1][2][6]

Again returning to Montana in 2001, Morris was the Solicitor of the Department of Justice until Montana voters elected him to the Montana Supreme Court in November 2004.[1][2][6][4]

Federal judicial service

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On March 11, 2013, U.S. Senator Max Baucus announced that he would recommend President Obama nominate Morris to fill the vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Montana. The vacancy, in Great Falls, was caused by Judge Sam E. Haddon assuming senior status. The recommendation was made after a number of candidates were considered by a nine-member Judicial Nominating Commission appointed by Senator Baucus and Senator Jon Tester.[13] On May 23, 2013, President Obama formally nominated Morris to the judgeship.[14] His nomination was reported to the floor by the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on September 19, 2013. Cloture was invoked on December 12, 2013 by a 57–40 vote.[15] He was confirmed later that day by a 75–20 vote.[16] He received his judicial commission on December 17, 2013.[6]

At the time of Morris's appointment, Montana had two of the three active judge seats vacant.[17] The inability to review cases created a significant backlog. Susan P. Watters was confirmed shortly after Morris for the Billings location.[17]

Montana rotates chief judge status between the three active judges; because of this, Morris became chief judge on March 19, 2020.[18]

Notable rulings

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State court

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In 2009, Morris wrote the 6–1 decision in Kulstad v. Maniaci, in which the Court ruled in favor of a woman's right to joint custody rights of two children adopted by her same-sex partner during their relationship.[19][20]

In 2010, he wrote the 4–1 decision in Wilson v. Montana that denying an inmate the use of a particular mental illness medication did not violate the criminal's rights.[21][22]

Federal court

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Indigenous Environmental Network and North Coast River Alliance, and Northern Plains Resource Council vs. United States Department of State and TransCanada Keystone Pipeline and TransCanada Corporation[23]

In November 2018 Morris issued an order to stop the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline so that further research could be done on its environmental effects.[24][25] An appeal of this order was dismissed as moot and the Order was vacated by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals with instructions to dismiss the district court actions.[26]

Bullock, et al. v. IRS[27] In July 2019 Morris issued an order overturning a rule issued by the Internal Revenue Service that allowed 501(c)(4) "social-welfare" organizations to shield the identities of their political donors.[28] Subsequently the IRS has ended the reporting requirements for non-501(c)(3) organizations.[29]

Personal life

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Morris and his wife, Cherche Prezeau, have three sons and one daughter.[1][2][4]s

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Justice Brian Morris". Courts of Montana. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Justice Brian Morris (MT)". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  3. ^ "Elections" (PDF). Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Gerard O'Brien (June 6, 2009). "From star athlete to Supreme Court justice: Brian Morris, Class of '82". The Montana Standard.
  5. ^ a b Fussell, Blake (May 1, 2021). "Judge Brian Morris reflects on time at Butte Central, football career". KULR8. Montana Standard. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Brian Morris at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  7. ^ Stanford 2010 Football Media Guide. Stanford Athletics Department. p. 188.
  8. ^ Stanford 2010 Football Media Guide. Stanford Athletics Department. p. 171.
  9. ^ Stanford 2010 Football Media Guide. Stanford Athletics Department. p. 117.
  10. ^ a b "Law School graduates appointed to judicial clerkships" (Press release). Stanford University. December 15, 1993.
  11. ^ Stanford 2010 Football Media Guide. Stanford Athletics Department. p. 155.
  12. ^ Morris, Brian (April 2006). "For the Chief" (PDF). Stanford Law Review. 58 (6): 1684–1685. ISSN 0038-9765. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2011.
  13. ^ Johnson, Clair (March 11, 2013). "2 for federal judgeships announced".
  14. ^ "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve as District Court Judges". whitehouse.gov. May 23, 2013 – via National Archives.
  15. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Brian Morris, of Montana, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Montana)". December 12, 2013.
  16. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Brian Morris, of Montana, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Montana)". December 12, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Johnson, Clair; Dennison, Mike (December 13, 2013). "Butte native Brian Morris confirmed as federal judge". Montana Standard. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  18. ^ "Chief Judge Brian Morris Chambers". www.mtd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Mike Dennison (October 6, 2009). "Supreme Court affirms former same-sex partner's rights as parent". Billings Gazette.
  20. ^ Michelle Kulstad v. Barbara L. Maniaci, 2009 MT 326; 352 Mont. 513; 220 P.3d 595 (Kulstad I).
  21. ^ "Court finds no violation of inmate's rights" (PDF). Correctional Signpost. No. 1. Montana Department of Corrections. 2011. pp. 6–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2011.
  22. ^ Colton Wilson v. State of Montana, 2010 MT 278.
  23. ^ "Case 4:17-cv-00031-BMM" (PDF). Natural Resources Defense Council. US District Court District of Montana. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  24. ^ Barbash, Fred; Chiu, Allyson; Eilperin, Juliet (November 9, 2018). "Federal judge blocks Keystone XL pipeline, saying Trump administration review ignored 'inconvenient' climate change facts". Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Puckett, Karl (November 8, 2018). "Judge blocks construction of Keystone XL pipeline". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  26. ^ "Indigenous Environmental Network v. U.S. Department of State".
  27. ^ "Case 4:18-cv-00103-BMM" (PDF). electionlawblog. US District Court District of Montana. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  28. ^ Davison, Laura (July 31, 2019). "Judge Overturns IRS Rule to Shield Political Donor Identities". Bloomberg. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  29. ^ "Final regulations end donor reporting requirement for non-501(c)(3) organizations and update other reporting requirements under IRC Section 6033".
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Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
2005–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana
2013–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana
2020–present
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