Howard Curtis Nielson Jr.
Appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019 and confirmed by the Senate 51–47, Howard Curtis Nielson Jr. is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. He earned a law degree from University of Chicago Law School in 1997. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1968 · age 58
- Appointed by
- Donald J. Trump, 2019
- Confirmed
- 51–47
- Education
- Brigham Young 1992 · University of Chicago Law School 1997
- Succeeded
- Brian Theadore Stewart
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | District of Utah succeeded Brian Theadore Stewart | Trump (R) | 51–47 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 51–47 on May 22, 2019 · 116th Congress, Roll Call 123. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 51
51 R
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- Bill Cassidy(R-LA)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Tom Cotton(R-AR)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Mike Enzi(R-WY)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Cory Gardner(R-CO)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Charles Grassley(R-IA)
- Josh Hawley(R-MO)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith(R-MS)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- John Isakson(R-GA)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- John Kennedy(R-LA)
- James Lankford(R-OK)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Martha McSally(R-AZ)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- David Perdue(R-GA)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Mitt Romney(R-UT)
- Mike Rounds(R-SD)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Ben Sasse(R-NE)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Patrick Toomey(R-PA)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Voted against · 47
44 D, 1 R, 2 I
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Catherine Cortez Masto(D-NV)
- Tammy Duckworth(D-IL)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Doug Jones(D-AL)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Joseph Manchin(D-WV)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Gary Peters(D-MI)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Jacklyn Rosen(D-NV)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Kyrsten Sinema(D-AZ)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 2
1 D, 1 R
- Kamala Harris(D-CA)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
Education
| Brigham Young University | B.A. | 1992 |
| University of Chicago Law School | J.D. | 1997 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Nielson was assigned 1,044 district-court cases (2007–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 303 days across 712 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 42 of Nielson’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 33 were affirmed, 5 reversed or vacated, and 4 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Howard Curtis Nielson Jr.?
- President Donald J. Trump appointed Howard Curtis Nielson Jr. to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah in 2019.
- Was Howard Curtis Nielson Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Howard Curtis Nielson Jr. was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Howard Curtis Nielson Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Howard Curtis Nielson Jr. 51–47 on May 22, 2019.
- Which court is Howard Curtis Nielson Jr. on?
- Howard Curtis Nielson Jr. is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2019)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
7 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).