Utah Supreme Court nominee Jill M. Pohlman
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Court of Appeals Judge Jill M. Pohlman has been nominated to serve on the Utah Supreme Court. Gov. Spencer Cox named the Ogden native as his choice to replace Associate Chief Justice Thomas R. Lee, who will step down July 31.
The governor made the announcement Tuesday at the Utah State Capitol. His nominations are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate. If Pohlman is confirmed, the five-member Utah Supreme Court will be majority women for the first time in state history.
“I couldn’t care less about that,” said Gov. Cox. “Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great and I think it’s awesome, but that is not why I chose Judge Pohlman. That would not be fair to her and it would not be fair to the people of this great state. I chose Judge Pohlman because she is the best candidate and I believe she will make the best supreme court justice.”
Pohlman was appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals in June 2016 by former Gov. Gary R. Herbert and currently serves as associate presiding judge. She also serves as a member of the Utah Supreme Court’s advisory committee on the rules of appellate procedure, the Utah Courts committee on judicial outreach, the executive committee of the Utah State Bar litigation section and co-chair of the judicial outreach bench/media subcommittee.
Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Durrant joined the governor for Tuesday’s announcement. He said Judge Pohlman is committed to the rule of law and treating each citizen fairly.
“She’s the judge I would want to appear before if my life were on the line, or if my business were on the line, or if my family were on the line,” said Chief Justice Durrant. “She is precisely the kind of judge that we need in our judiciary and precisely the kind of judge and scholar that we need on the supreme court.”
Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeals, Pohlman was a partner at the law firm of Stoel Rives in both their litigation and appellate practice groups. She also clerked for Chief Judge David K. Winder of the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In her private practice, Pohlman handled several high-profile cases including litigating the dispute between the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune over the joint management of the two papers; participating in the independent ethics investigation of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics scandal; and successfully securing asylum for a family of four that had fled political persecution in Colombia in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
During her nomination acceptance, Judge Pohlman said she has been passionate about the rule of law ever since she was a young girl. She expressed gratitude to her elementary school teachers for instilling that desire in her at such a young age.
“While I have worked hard to achieve that goal,” said Judge Pohlman, “that nine-year-old girl could have never imagined that she would be standing here in the Gold Room today, receiving an appointment to the Utah Supreme Court. Thank you Gov. Cox for giving me the opportunity to live beyond my dreams. If confirmed by the Utah Senate, I will work tirelessly to serve the people of this great state and to make you proud.”
Pohlman earned her law degree from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. While attending college, she interned in the Utah Senate during the 1992 legislative session. She was born in Ogden, grew up along the Wasatch Front and attended Alta High School.
will@cvradio.com