New chief justice is former member of BYU law faculty
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Monroe G. McKay was invested Sept. 16 as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. He is the first former full-time faculty member of BYU's law school to become a chief judge.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White presided over and conducted the investiture at BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School. Elder James E. Faust of the Council of the Twelve spoke at the investiture and presented a brief history of the new chief justice's family. BYU Pres. Rex E. Lee also addressed the gathering.The new chief justice, a grandson of the late President David O. McKay, is a member of the Edgemont 6th Ward, Provo Utah Edgemont Stake.
He is the second Church member to hold the position of chief judge. The first is Chief Judge Clifford Wallace of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Judge McKay is a native of Hunstville, Utah. He graduated from BYU in 1957 and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1960. He began teaching at BYU's newly formed law school in 1974.
He was appointed in 1977 to the appellate bench by President Jimmy Carter.
Before he joined BYU's law school faculty, Judge McKay was a practicing lawyer; his special expertise has been in the field of Constitutional law.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit settles questions raised in federal district court trials in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas. Appeals court judges are appointed for life, but may retire. Judge McKay replaced Judge William J. Holloway Jr., who presented the new chief justice a gavel at the investiture.
