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Utah Senate Confirms Governor's Appointments, Including Michael Edwards to Second District Court
Summary
In an October 2018 extraordinary session, the Utah Senate consented to a slate of gubernatorial appointments — including the confirmation of Michael Edwards to the Second District Court by a 27-1 vote — and approved dozens of other board and agency nominees by unanimous consent.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate convened in an extraordinary session in October 2018 and gave its consent to a wide range of the governor’s appointments, including the confirmation of Michael Edwards as a judge of the Second District Court.
Senators voted 27 to 1, with one senator absent, to confirm Michael Edwards after the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee reported a favorable recommendation. Senator Todd Wyler, the committee chair, summarized Edwards’s legal background, noting his work as a defense attorney, experience in criminal and family law, and attendance at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. After the vote, Edwards addressed the Senate and pledged to “serve faithfully and to uphold and sustain the law.”
The confirmation came after Senator Jennifer DeBackus used her allotted explanation to register a dissenting vote, saying she believed “our state judiciary simply does not reflect the people of the state of Utah” and urging more affirmative efforts to diversify the pipeline of judicial candidates. The Senate did not overturn the confirmation by roll call.
In addition to the judgeship, the Senate considered and consented to an extensive list of gubernatorial appointments to boards, commissions and state offices that Governor Gary R. Herbert transmitted to the body. After a roll call on the slate read by the clerk, the Senate recorded 28 yeas, 0 nays and one member absent and confirmed the appointments.
Among the higher-profile confirmations announced on the floor were Mike Hadden as executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections, Jess L. Anderson as commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, and Lawrence C. Walters (Larry Walters) to the State Tax Commission. Committee chairs who reviewed the nominees reported unanimous or favorable recommendations from their respective confirmation committees.
Senator Harper offered a brief explanation of his vote on one trustee nominee, saying that while he had initially voted no in committee because of unanswered questions about qualifications, subsequent conversations convinced him the nominee had the passion and capability to serve, and he cast an aye on the floor.
The extraordinary session was called by gubernatorial proclamation under Article VII, Section 6 of the Utah Constitution to allow the Senate to provide consent to appointments made since the close of the 2018 general session. After finalizing confirmations, the Senate resolved briefly into a Committee of the Whole to allow several newly confirmed department heads to make remarks; each expressed appreciation to the governor and to the senators, and to their families in attendance.
The Senate concluded its business, reported to the governor’s representative that the session’s purposes were satisfied and adjourned. Members then prepared for a group photograph on the chamber floor.
