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Utah Senate unanimously confirms Spencer Walsh to First District Court
Summary
The Utah Senate consented unanimously to Gov. Gary Herbert's nomination of Spencer Walsh to the First District Court, recording 24 yea votes and six absentees; Walsh thanked mentors and pledged judicial restraint in brief remarks to the Senate.
The Utah State Senate on Oct. 2020 consented to Gov. Gary R. Herbert’s nomination of Spencer Walsh to serve as a judge on the First District Court, announcing a roll-call tally of 24 yea votes, 0 nay votes and 6 absences.
Walsh, whom the governor named in a written communication read into the record, will fill the vacancy left by Judge Thomas Wilmore, who retired in February after 21 years on the bench. The Senate’s confirmation committee reported a unanimous recommendation for confirmation prior to the floor vote.
Senate discussion on the floor was brief. Senator Hilliard explained his yea vote, saying he respected Walsh personally and professionally despite previously having opposed him as a defense lawyer in some cases. The secretary read the roll call and President Adams announced the final tally: the Senate had consented to the appointment.
After the vote the chamber dissolved into a Committee of the Whole so the newly confirmed judge could speak. In remarks to the Senate, Walsh described his background in prosecution and local government legal work — he has served as chief prosecutor for the Cache County Attorney’s Office and previously was a deputy county attorney and a deputy prosecuting attorney in West Valley City — and thanked mentors, family and colleagues. He said he would "follow the law," "show judicial restraint" and "not legislate from the bench," and cited the Utah Constitution and separation of powers as guiding principles.
The transcript contains inconsistent renderings of the nominee's surname (the governor’s written communication and parts of the record use "Spencer Walsh," while several floor references use "Welch"). The governor’s letter read into the record names the appointee as "Spencer Walsh," and this article follows that formal written designation while noting the alternate spelling appeared in portions of the oral record.
Procedureally, the confirmation concluded with the judge’s brief remarks and the Senate returning to consider additional communications from the governor.
