Cox names church attorney, Federal Prosecutor to Utah’s High Court – Deseret News

Gov. Spencer Cox appointed attorneys Jay Jorgensen and Stephen Dent to two newly created seats on the Utah Supreme Court bench.

The appointments come after the Legislature expanded the Utah Supreme Court from five to seven justices in this year’s legislative session.

Both men will be subjected to the advice and consent of Utah’s Senate prior to confirmation.

During Tuesday’s announcement, Cox said he looked for candidates who were similar to the court’s Chief Justice Matthew Durrant, when going through the rigorous interview process.

“That’s how much I respect him and how well respected he is in the legal community,” Cox said, noting his disappointment in Durrant’s recent retirement news. “The chief justice is one of the finest human beings that I’ve ever met, a true, dedicated public servant to our state.”

With Durrant’s retirement and the recent resignation of Justice Diana Hagen, Cox will be an two justices this fall, in addition to the two announced Tuesday.

“What I’m looking for has never changed,” Cox continued. “I am looking for people who care deeply about the Constitution of the state and the Constitution of the United States.”

Cox pushed back when asked why no women were on the list for consideration. He first said that only four out of the 25 applicants were female, and two of them didn’t have the credentials to be considered seriously. He also pointed out that he’s already appointed two women to the Utah Supreme Court — but that it shouldn’t matter.

“I don’t care if you’re a male or female when you apply. I don’t go into this looking at your chromosomes when I’m making an appointment. I’m trying to find the best legal minds who represent the state of Utah, and I think that’s all that should matter,” he said.

He also directly addressed recent tensions between Utah’s legislative and judicial branches.

“I pushed really hard on them to make sure that they aren’t partisan hacks,” he said, emphasizing that their role is to hold both the executive and legislative branches accountable to the Constitution.

Who are Utah’s new justices?

Cox highlighted Jorgensen’s resume as one of the strongest in the candidate pool.

“Jay’s life and career have taken him from small-town Utah to the highest levels of legal and business worlds, and then back to Utah to serve its people,” Cox shared.

Before his appointment, Jorgensen served as senior counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jorgensen is one of 13 Brigham Young University law school alumni to serve as a clerk for a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, according to Y Magazine. From 1999 to 2000, Jorgensen clerked for Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist.

Jorgensen spent 12 years working in civil and criminal litigation at the D.C.-based global law firm, Sidley Austin. He then became executive vice president of Walmart, overseeing the company’s global ethics and compliance program.

He moved back to Utah in 2021 and has been working as counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since then.

When asked how Cox addressed the potential conflict with the church’s influence in the state, the governor dismissed it as a nonissue.

“I didn’t address it at all. I don’t care who they work for. I care about their legal mind and their legal scholarship.”

The second appointee, Stephen Dent, had been serving as a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s office in St. George, Utah, prior to his appointment. He has prosecuted fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and murder.

A law graduate from the University of Utah, Dent finished first in his class, going on to serve as a clerk for high ranking judges in the state, and like Jorgensen, worked for a national law firm in Washington, D.C.

Both men shared their admiration for the state’s highest court and their humility at being considered for the bench by the Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission.