Judge Michael W. McConnell's resignation from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday was a surprise to many, but his love of teaching is not.
The Salt Lake City resident and University of Utah professor is leaving the bench effective Aug. 31 to teach at Stanford Law School in California and direct its Constitutional Law Center.
“This is a great court,” McConnell told The Tribune in a phone interview from his chambers in Denver, where the appeals court is based. “It's been a wonderful opportunity and a great chance for public service but my first love is teaching.”
Scott Matheson, a U. law professor, said McConnell's passion for teaching is evident. He said the judge is one of the nation's leading constitutional law scholars.
“Anyone who's had the opportunity to take a class from Professor McConnell had a tremendous experience,” Matheson said.
McConnell was a full time faculty member at the U. when he was nominated to the bench and continued to teach there during his 6½ years on the bench. He also arranged for the 10th Circuit to hold a session at the U. annually so first-year law students could hear appeals court arguments, Matheson said.
The judge's teaching reached legendary status among U. students with a course on the origins of the Constitution that he developed and co-taught with history professor James Clayton. The law school class was open to undergraduates, who soon made up at least half the enrollees.
“Michael unquestionably has one of the finest minds I've known up close,” Clayton, now retired, said. “Michael is a stellar teacher.”
McConnell's popularity as a teacher continued at Stanford, where he was twice a visiting professor.
According to the university, students at the Palo Alto school were instrumental in encouraging his appointment on the faculty.
McConnell's nomination to the 10th Circuit in 2001 by President George W. Bush was stalled for more than a year as controversy swirled over his scholarly writings, one of which called the Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling an “embarrassment.” He was confirmed by the Senate in November 2002.
President Barack Obama will nominate a successor to replace McConnell. The court, whose jurisdiction covers Utah and five other states, now is composed of eight full-time judges appointed by Republican presidents and four appointed by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat.
McConnell and Obama have crossed paths before, when McConnell was a law professor at the University of Chicago.
An article published last year by The New York Times says Obama, then president of the Harvard Law Review , impressed the future judge with his editing of an article McConnell wrote. McConnell brought Obama to the attention of the Chicago law school, which helped lead to Obama receiving a fellowship there in 1991, T he Times reported.
Tribune correspondent Robert Boczkiewicz in Denver contributed to this article.
