About me
Robert Shelby has been a District Judge in the District of Utah since 2012, serving as Chief Judge from 2018 to 2025. Since 2019 he has served by appointment on the Committee on Defender Services for the Judicial Conference of the United States. He has done extensive work with the Federal Judicial Center, including as a mentor judge for new district judge orientation programs and as faculty for leadership training for other chief judges. He has been active in international rule of law work with judiciaries throughout Europe and in Asia.
Judge Shelby obtained degrees from Utah State University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He clerked for United States District Judge J. Thomas Greene in the District of Utah and later enjoyed a diverse private practice with an emphasis in complex litigation.
He is a former President of the Salt Lake County Bar Association and the David K. Watkiss – Sutherland Inn of Court and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Judge Shelby served on active duty with the Utah Army National Guard during Operation Desert Storm before receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1994.
