Judge Lawrence VanDyke
Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Lawrence James Christopher VanDyke was born in December 1972 in Midland, Texas. He attended Oklahoma Christian University before earning an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Montana State University and later earned a Master of Construction Engineering Management. He worked in his family’s construction company and earned a Bachelor of Theology from Bear Valley Bible Institute. He received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He clerked at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals before entering private practice.
He worked for a period of time as an Assistant Solicitor General of Texas and was the Solicitor General of Montana across a two-year period. He served four years as Solicitor General of Nevada before becoming a deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division.
VanDyke was nominated for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President Donald Trump. After a cloture vote, his nomination was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in January 2020.
In the News…
Judge Lawrence VanDyke of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied the request of a coalition of fifteen state attorneys general who filed a motion to intervene regarding border security.
After President Biden’s administration codified aspects of the Los Angeles Declaration of Migration and Protection in its “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways” rule, the states filed lawsuits over the Department of Homeland Security’s asylum policy.
The administration changed course on a modified asylum ban after the Ninth Circuit ruled in its favor. Judge VanDyke responded, “The administration’s abrupt about-face makes no sense as a legal matter. Either it previously lied to this court by exaggerating the threat posed by vacating the rule, or it is now hiding the real reason it wants to hold this case in abeyance.“
The state coalition has now petitioned the Supreme Court regarding the multi-jurisdictional asylum case.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge VanDyke today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Lawrence VanDyke
Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Bruce R. Thompson U.S. Courthouse
400 South Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89501
