Michael W. Mosman

Michael Wise Mosman (born 1956) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. He served as Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon from February 1, 2016, to December 23, 2019. He previously served as the United States attorney for the same district.

Early life and education

Michael Mosman was born in the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1956 in the city of Eugene. Mosman then went on to law school at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School. He graduated there in 1984 with a Juris Doctor.

After leaving Powell's employ, Mosman entered private practice in Portland, Oregon, in 1986 at Miller Nash (now Miller Nash Graham & Dunn).

Federal judicial service On May 8, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Mosman to serve as United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon to the seat vacated by Robert E. Jones, who assumed senior status on May 1, 2000. On September 25, 2003, he was confirmed by the United States Senate by a 93–0 vote. He received his commission on September 26, 2003. He served as Chief Judge for approximately 4 years from February 1, 2016, to December 23, 2019. He assumed senior status on December 27, 2021. Mosman had issued the temporary injunction in December 2007 to prevent Oregon's new civil union law from taking effect in January. This was in response to a legal challenge by a group that had attempted to place a referendum on the November 2008 ballot to block the civil union law that had been passed by the Oregon Legislative Assembly. The legal issue centered on how the Oregon Secretary of State verified signatures on petitions. The heavily redacted, 412-page application cites many sources, including confidential informants. Among those many sources, the application cites the Steele dossier, leading a legal commentator to criticize the basis of the warrant.

Kawhi Leonard v. Nike Inc

In April, 2020, Mosman granted Nike's motion dismissing Kawhi Leonard's copyright claims over a disputed logo, writing

"It's not merely a derivative work of the sketch itself...I do find it to be new and significantly different from the design."

Oregon restraining order against Department of Homeland Security (2020)

In July 2020, the Oregon Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum, requested a restraining order based on the detainment actions of Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection personnel. The AG alleged that unmarked federal agents had unlawfully detained protesters in Portland without probable cause.

Mosman rejected the request for a restraining order, stating that "because it has not shown it is vindicating an interest that is specific to the state itself — I find the State of Oregon lacks standing here and therefore deny its request for a temporary restraining order".

Miss America In 2021, Mosman dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Miss United States of America pageant's rules that dictate that their contestants be “natural females.”

Recognition

In 2018, Mosman received the Alumni Achievement Award from BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School, entitled "How Not To Be stupid" As part of the Spirit and the Law Series at BYU, Mosman gave a talk on conflict and confrontation in the law

Personal life Mosman is married to the former Suzanne Cannon Hogan, and they have five children. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.