Listening as the First Principle of Civility

Judge Scott C. Clarkson has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California since January 20, 2011. His undergraduate degree is from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana and he received his J.D. degree from George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Virginia. He has been a member of the California, Commonwealth of Virginia and District of Columbia bars. He was admitted to the 4^th Circuit and 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals and remains a member of the bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Also serves as a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Task Force on Veterans and Servicemembers Affairs.  He is a member of the CARE Los Angeles Advisory Board. As a 501(c)(3) organization comprised of approximately 100 volunteers, CARE Los Angeles attempts to empower individuals of all ages to make informed financial decisions by providing essential financial literacy education.

From 1977 to 1982, Judge Clarkson was legislative assistant to a United States Congressman in Washington, D.C., assigned to the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, where he was a direct observer of and participant in the creation of the 1978 Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Prior to his appointment, Judge Clarkson practiced bankruptcy law and bankruptcy litigation for more than 20 years in Los Angeles and served as chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section from 2008 to 2009.

In 2024, Judge Clarkson’s ebook, “27 Articles for Bankruptcy Judges” was published by the American Bankruptcy Institute and available on their website.

Judge Clarkson is also an established documentary photographer.  As a photojournalist, he has documented events throughout the United States, Ukraine, Southeast and Central Asia and South America for over 20 years. Some of his photographs may be seen here –   http://scottclarksonphotography.com/

His book of photographs, Windows to Vietnam – A Journey in Pictures & Verse, was published in 2007 and is now in its third edition. The book was designated as “Editors Choice” by the United States Military Academy (West Point) Association of Graduates Alumni Magazine in 2008.

For photography purposes, Judge Clarkson travelled to Japan in 2024, Egypt and Morocco in 2023, Ukraine in 2022, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir in 2008 – 2009, Israel, West Bank and Gaza, Jordan and Syria, including refugee camps in 2014, Turkish camps for Syrian refugees in 2018, and an exploration of the Greek economic crisis in 2019, covering recent events in these regions of the world. He uses a Leica M7, Hasselblad 500 C/M, and a Nikon F100 for film, and a Leica M8 and M9 for digital images.

Judge Clarkson also holds a valid United States Coast Guard Ship Captain’s license (OUPV) and until recently skippered his 1994 42′ Grand Banks Classic, the “Starry Decisis.”