John D. Luthy
SALT LAKE CITY — Cache County Attorney John D. Luthy has been appointed to the Utah State Court of Appeals. Gov. Spencer Cox made the announcement Tuesday night.
In a press release, Gov. Cox said, “John is an accomplished attorney and public servant and will serve the people of Utah well. I’m pleased he’s willing to take on this new responsibility and know he’ll perform his duties with care and professionalism.”
Judicial appointments are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate, which likely won’t take place for several months. That will give the Cache County Council time to figure out Luthy’s replacement as he is running unopposed in the November election.
Luthy is a Cache Valley native and has been practicing law since 2003. He joined the staff of the Cache County Attorney’s Office about three years ago. Before being appointed county attorney and overseeing criminal prosecution in the county, he was chief deputy attorney in the county’s Civil Division.
Before working for the county, Luthy was an attorney in private practice at Peck Hadfield Baxter & Moore in Logan and Suitter Axland in Salt Lake City. In addition, he taught legal research, analysis and writing and advanced legal writing at the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Luthy said in the press release, “I am deeply grateful to Gov. Cox for trusting me with an appointment to the Utah Court of Appeals. I have great respect for Utah’s appellate courts and the whole of our judiciary. If confirmed, I will strive to serve the people of Utah with the same integrity, humility, and commitment to the law that I have observed in those who already serve.”
The appellate court is a familiar area for Luthy. He has clerked for Judges Gregory K. Orme and Russell W. Bench of the Utah Court of Appeals and Justice Richard C. Howe of the Utah Supreme Court. He received a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University in political science and a juris doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.
At the time of his nomination in September, Luthy explained that he would bring a rural perspective to the Court of Appeals, which have typically been filled by metro area nominees.
will@cvradio.com