Scott J. Laurer

Scott J. Laurer
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Incumbent
Assumed office August 2020
Appointed by	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Mary J. Schoelen
Personal details
Born	1965 (age 58–59)
Education	Rutgers University (BA) Temple University (JD) George Washington University (LLM)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1990–2019
Rank	Captain (Retired)
Unit	See list United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps Naval Special Warfare Group 1 USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) United States National Security Council
Commands	Region Legal Service Office for Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia
Battles/wars	Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Southern Watch
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Scott Joseph Laurer (born 1965) is a retired United States Navy Captain and American lawyer who serves as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Early life

Born as the third of seven children, Scott Laurer grew up in the historical town of Woodbury, N.J. His father served in the Navy during the Korean War era, and his uncle served in the Army in Vietnam. His maternal grandfather worked as a claims investigator for the Yellow Cab company in Philadelphia. He worked with attorneys and talked about his work with the family, sparking Laurer's interest in the field. When he completed a survey in high school to identify his career interests, the top profession recommended for him was an attorney.

Education

As a college student at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Laurer majored in political science. He spoke to a Navy recruiter, asking if it would be possible to attend law school part time while serving in the Navy. The recruiter advised that in the Navy, it was unlikely that he would be stationed in one location long enough to complete a Juris Doctor degree. Judge Laurer’s first goal was to become a lawyer, so he first pursued law school instead.

While at Temple University School of Law, he learned for the first time that a person could be an attorney in the Navy. One day, he saw people in military uniforms in the student lounge, who he later learned were judge advocates. In an era before the internet, even the Navy recruiter he spoke to knew little about the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

Later, Laurer earned his Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctor from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Military service and legal career

Laurer served a distinguished 30-year career in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. His early assignments included serving as trial counsel at the Naval Legal Service Office San Francisco and as the legal advisor for Naval Special Warfare Group 1, where he worked closely with West Coast and Pacific SEAL teams, even undergoing Army airborne training to better understand parachute operations and investigations. He earned an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law at George Washington University Law School while on active duty.

Laurer’s career included multiple high-profile assignments. He supported combat operations as the senior legal advisor for the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group during its record-setting 10-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also served overseas in Japan, Germany, and Italy, holding leadership roles such as Commanding Officer of the U.S. Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) for Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia (EURAFCENT).

In Afghanistan, Laurer was the special legal advisor to the commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, playing a key role in drafting and negotiating the Bilateral Support Agreement between the United States and Afghanistan. He also served as Special Counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations. His final assignment was as Deputy Legal Advisor to the United States National Security Council at the White House, where he provided legal counsel on national-security matters, further honing his expertise in international law and military operations.

Federal judicial service

On August 28, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Laurer to serve as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. On September 19, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Laurer to the seat vacated by Judge Mary J. Schoelen, whose term subsequently expired on December 20, 2019. On November 6, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Two days later, Captain Laurer retired from the U.S. Navy after serving nearly 30 years on active duty with the U.S. Navy JAG Corps. On January 3, 2020, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On January 9, 2020, he was renominated to the same seat. On July 23, 2020, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a voice vote. He received his judicial commission in August 2020.