Hatch Statement on Judiciary Committee Vote to Advance Utah U.S. Attorney Nominee John Huber
Washington, D.C.—Senator Orrin G. Hatch, a member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered the following statement on the Committee’s unanimous vote in favor of John Huber, nominated by President Obama to be United States Attorney for the District of Utah:
Mr. Chairman, thank you for putting on the agenda today the nomination of John Huber to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah. Senator Lee and I strongly support John for this position and I hope his nomination can be approved quickly.
John Huber has served in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Utah since April 2002, first as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting firearms crimes as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. He knows the criminal justice system, having earlier served as Deputy Weber County Attorney and a prosecutor in West Valley City. More than ever, federal prosecutors today do not act in isolation but their efforts not only affect state and local jurisdictions but also require their collaboration. John Huber will be able to do that effectively.
When President Obama nominated John, who currently serves as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, the Utah press called him a veteran and experienced prosecutor and noted his history of prosecuting domestic violence. He prosecuted those who in 2007 provided the guns used to kill five and wound four in Salt Lake City’s Trolley Square. John had a no-nonsense take on that case, saying that if those people had obeyed the laws, the killer would not have gotten the guns. The Justice Department honored him with a Director’s Award from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys in 2010.
John also knows Utah, growing up in Magna where he still lives with his wife and two daughters, and receiving his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Utah. He is committed to his community, his family, and his faith. He is a good man, a skilled and dedicated prosecutor, and I look forward to him continuing the tradition of excellence established in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
