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'''Leonard Steven Grasz''' (born November 1, 1961)<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Grasz%20SJQ.pdf|title=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Leonard Steven Grasz|publisher=}}</ref> is an American lawyer and a [[United States federal judge|United States Circuit Judge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit]].
'''Leonard Steven Grasz''' (born November 1, 1961)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Grasz%20SJQ.pdf|title=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Leonard Steven Grasz|publisher=}}</ref> is an American lawyer and a [[United States federal judge|United States Circuit Judge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit]].


A graduate of the [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln]] and the [[University of Nebraska College of Law]], Grasz spent eleven years as the state of Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General. He was a senior partner at the law firm of Husch Blackwell prior to his appointment to the federal judiciary.
A graduate of the [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln]] and the [[University of Nebraska College of Law]], Grasz spent eleven years as the state of Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General. He was a senior partner at the law firm of Husch Blackwell prior to his appointment to the federal judiciary.
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Grasz then spent eleven years as the state of Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General, where he oversaw the [[Nebraska Attorney General]]'s Office's civil and appellate practice in state and federal courts, the state's official Attorney General's opinions, and the representation of state constitutional officers and legislators.<ref name=whitehouse/> While serving as Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General, Grasz authored nine briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and served as counsel of record before the Supreme Court in ''[[Stenberg v. Carhart]]'', in which he defended a state statute prohibiting [[partial-birth abortion]].<ref name="memo">{{cite news|last1=Severino|first1=Carrie|author-link=Carrie Severino|title=Who is Steve Grasz?|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/450160/who-steve-grasz|accessdate=September 25, 2017|website=[[National Review]]|date=August 4, 2017}}</ref>
Grasz then spent eleven years as the state of Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General, where he oversaw the [[Nebraska Attorney General]]'s Office's civil and appellate practice in state and federal courts, the state's official Attorney General's opinions, and the representation of state constitutional officers and legislators.<ref name=whitehouse/> While serving as Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General, Grasz authored nine briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and served as counsel of record before the Supreme Court in ''[[Stenberg v. Carhart]]'', in which he defended a state statute prohibiting [[partial-birth abortion]].<ref name="memo">{{cite news|last1=Severino|first1=Carrie|author-link=Carrie Severino|title=Who is Steve Grasz?|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/450160/who-steve-grasz|accessdate=September 25, 2017|website=[[National Review]]|date=August 4, 2017}}</ref>


In 2002, Grasz joined the Omaha office of Husch Blackwell. He was named senior partner in 2013. While in private practice, Grasz challenged a state constitutional provision restricting ownership of agricultural land under the [[Commerce Clause]].<ref name=memo/> He worked as a [[Lobbying|lobbyist]] in addition to maintaining a legal practice.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Voruganti|first=Harsh|date=October 31, 2017|title=L. Steven Grasz|url=https://vettingroom.org/2017/10/31/steve-grasz/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=The Vetting Room}}</ref> From 2007 to 2013, he served as General Counsel to the [[Nebraska Republican Party]]. From 2013 to 2017, he worked as Legal Counsel, Treasurer, and Secretary to [[Pete Ricketts]]'s gubernatorial campaigns<ref name=":1" />
In 2002, Grasz joined the Omaha office of Husch Blackwell. He was named senior partner in 2013. While in private practice, Grasz challenged a state constitutional provision restricting ownership of agricultural land under the [[Commerce Clause]].<ref name=memo/>

Grasz has also written numerous op-eds, including one criticizing [[John Roberts]] as "the one who ushered in the ultimate transfer of limitless power to the federal government" for his decision in [[National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius]], which he described as "unsupportable in terms of its legal reasoning and adherence to longstanding rules of constitutional interpretation or construction."<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Grasz|first=Steve|date=July 9, 2012|title=Local View: Roberts jeopardized legitimacy of high court|work=Lincoln Journal-Star|url=https://journalstar.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/local-view-roberts-jeopardized-legitimacy-of-high-court/article_e6de9051-3758-5c30-af0b-3659f94fbecd.html|url-status=live|access-date=}}</ref>


==Federal judicial service==
==Federal judicial service==
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==Memberships==
==Memberships==
In 2017, Grasz was part of the state chapter of the [[Federalist Society]], joining the Nebraska Lawyers Chapter Steering Committee.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Grasz%20SJQ.pdf |title=Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees |website=judiciary.senate.gov |access-date=June 30, 2018}}</ref> He has also been on the board of the controversial [[social conservatism]] advocacy group [[Nebraska Family Alliance]] as well as Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, Nebraskans for Capital Punishment, Citizens for a Better Omaha, Nebraskans for Justice [[Harriet Miers|Miers]], and Family First.<ref name=":1" />
In 2017, Grasz was part of the state chapter of the [[Federalist Society]], joining the Nebraska Lawyers Chapter Steering Committee.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Grasz%20SJQ.pdf |title=Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees |website=judiciary.senate.gov |access-date=June 30, 2018}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 00:13, 14 December 2020

L. Steven Grasz
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Assumed office
January 3, 2018
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byWilliam J. Riley
Chief Deputy Attorney General of Nebraska
In office
January 1991 – May 2002
Attorney GeneralDon Stenberg
Personal details
Born
Leonard Steven Grasz

(1961-11-01) November 1, 1961 (age 62)
Chappell, Nebraska, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln (BS, JD)

Leonard Steven Grasz (born November 1, 1961)[1] is an American lawyer and a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

A graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Nebraska College of Law, Grasz spent eleven years as the state of Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General. He was a senior partner at the law firm of Husch Blackwell prior to his appointment to the federal judiciary.

At the time of his 2017 nomination for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the

Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary
unanimously voted to give Grasz a "not qualified" rating for the position. Grasz was the first circuit court nominee to receive a unanimous "not qualified" rating from the ABA since 2006. Republican Senators accused the ABA of political bias and Grasz testified that the ABA's review process was unprofessional.

Early life and education

Grasz was born in Chappell, Nebraska, to farmers. As a child, he showed steers and lambs, belonged to 4-H, and was a state officer for Future Farmers of America. He played basketball and was on the track team in high school, graduating in a class of 33 students.[2]

Grasz received his

cum laude, in agriculture from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1984. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1989, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif, served as the executive editor of the Nebraska Law Review, and received the Roscoe Pound Award for his selection as top oral advocate in his class.[3]

Legal career

Grasz began his career as an intern and legislative assistant to Virginia D. Smith, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who represented Nebraska's 3rd congressional district from 1975 to 1991 and was the first woman from Nebraska to hold a seat in the U.S. House.[2] Grasz went on to spend two years as an associate at Kutak Rock.[3]

Grasz then spent eleven years as the state of Nebraska's Chief Deputy Attorney General, where he oversaw the

partial-birth abortion.[4]

In 2002, Grasz joined the Omaha office of Husch Blackwell. He was named senior partner in 2013. While in private practice, Grasz challenged a state constitutional provision restricting ownership of agricultural land under the Commerce Clause.[4]

Federal judicial service

On August 3, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Grasz to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, to the seat vacated by Judge William J. Riley, who assumed senior status on June 30, 2017.[5] On November 1, 2017, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[6]

In October 2017, the

U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska Deborah R. Gilg, both Democrats.[2]

On November 15, 2017, Pamela Bresnahan, the chair of the ABA's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, testified before the U.S. Senate in order to explain the organization's vetting of Grasz. In his confirmation hearing, Grasz had testified that the ABA's review process was unprofessional.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley stated that follow-up materials from Grasz "appear to indicate that the ABA relied on faulty information in their evaluation." Upon the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, the committee vote on Grasz's nomination was delayed for one week.[15][16]

On December 7, 2017, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 11–9 vote.[17] On December 11, 2017, the Senate voted 48–47 to invoke cloture on his nomination.[18] On December 12, 2017, the full United States Senate voted 50–48 in favor of confirmation; the vote was along party lines with Senators John McCain and Thad Cochran absent.[19][20] He received his judicial commission on January 3, 2018.

Memberships

In 2017, Grasz was part of the state chapter of the Federalist Society, joining the Nebraska Lawyers Chapter Steering Committee.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Leonard Steven Grasz" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b c Simonson, Kevin (March 2, 2018). "Steve Grasz Takes the Bench". Omaha Magazine. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Sixth Wave of Judicial Candidates and Fifth Wave of U.S. Attorney Candidates", White House, August 3, 2017Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^
    Severino, Carrie (August 4, 2017). "Who is Steve Grasz?". National Review
    . Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  5. ^ "Eighteen Nominations Sent to the Senate Today – The White House".
  6. ^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
  7. ^ Min Kim, Seung (October 30, 2017). "ABA deems another Trump judicial nominee 'not qualified'". Politico. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  8. ^ Lawrenz Fare, ABA committee gives 8th Circuit nominee 'not qualified' rating, Jurist (November 1, 2017).
  9. ^ Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA committee explains its 'not qualified' rating for 8th Circuit nominee, ABA Journal (October 31, 2017).
  10. ^ "ABA Judicial Ratings Remain In GOP Senators' Crosshairs – Law360". www.law360.com.
  11. ^ Ryan, Tim (December 7, 2017). "Senate Panel Advances Nominations of 10 Federal Judges". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Sasse, Ben; Fischer, Deb (November 5, 2017). "Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse: Grasz deserves seat on court". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  13. ^ "Senate OKs Trump's 8th Circ. Pick Despite ABA Rating – Law360". www.law360.com.
  14. ^ Schneier, Cogan (November 15, 2017). "Cruz Rails Against ABA Vetting Amid Confusion About 8th Circuit Nominee". The National Law Journal. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  15. ^ "Prepared Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, Executive Business Meeting, November 30, 2017" (PDF).
  16. ^ Morton, Joseph (November 30, 2017). "Senate panel delays consideration of Omaha attorney Steve Grasz's nomination". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  17. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 7, 2017, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF).
  18. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress – 1st Session". www.senate.gov.
  19. ^ "Leonard Steven Grasz, Trump judicial pick rated as "not qualified," OK'd by Senate".
  20. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress – 1st Session". www.senate.gov.
  21. ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). judiciary.senate.gov. Retrieved June 30, 2018.

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
2018–present 		Incumbent
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