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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING FORMER CHIEF

2     
JUSTICE CHRISTINE M. DURHAM

3     
2018 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Patrice M. Arent

6     
Senate Sponsor: Todd Weiler

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8     LONG TITLE
9     General Description:
10          This resolution honors the legacy and service of former Utah Supreme Court Chief
11     Justice Christine M. Durham.
12     Highlighted Provisions:
13          This resolution:
14          ▸     honors former Chief Justice Christine M. Durham for:
15               •     her many accomplishments and awards that bring distinction to the state of
16     Utah; and
17               •     her many years of dedicated service to the judiciary and the citizens of the state
18     of Utah.
19     Special Clauses:
20          None
21     

22     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
23          WHEREAS, former Justice Christine M. Durham was born in Los Angeles, spending
24     her formative years in Southern California, Washington D.C., and France;
25          WHEREAS, Justice Durham earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, from
26     prestigious Wellesley College in Massachusetts;
27          WHEREAS, Justice Durham earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Duke University,

28     where she is an emeritus member of the Board of Trustees;
29          WHEREAS, after graduation from law school, Justice Durham taught law, worked as a
30     research associate, drafted legislation, and opened her own office representing indigent
31     defendants, among other activities;
32          WHEREAS, after a number of years in private practice, Justice Durham was the first
33     woman appointed to a court of general jurisdiction in the state of Utah;
34          WHEREAS, Justice Durham was the first woman appointed to the Utah Supreme Court
35     and served with distinction for 36 years, from 1982 until 2017;
36          WHEREAS, Justice Durham was the first woman to serve as Chair of the Utah Judicial
37     Council and served for 10 years, from 2002 to 2012;
38          WHEREAS, Justice Durham was the first woman elected to serve as Chief Justice of
39     the Utah Supreme Court and was Chief Justice for 10 years, from 2002 to 2012;
40          WHEREAS, Justice Durham taught as an adjunct professor for many years at the
41     University of Utah's college of law, teaching state constitutional law;
42          WHEREAS, Justice Durham is a past Chair of the American Bar Association's Council
43     on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the entity that accredits American law schools;
44          WHEREAS, Justice Durham helped create and lead the Utah Coalition for Civic
45     Character and Service Education and served on the Utah Commission on Civic Education;
46          WHEREAS, Justice Durham served on the American Bar Association's President's
47     Task Force on the Future of Legal Education;
48          WHEREAS, Justice Durham served on the Advisory Board for the Educating
49     Tomorrow's Lawyers Project of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal
50     System;
51          WHEREAS, Justice Durham currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the
52     University of the People, an accredited tuition-free online institution;
53          WHEREAS, Justice Durham has been active in judicial education, was a founder of the
54     Leadership Institute in Judicial Education, and has been recognized nationally for her work in
55     judicial education and efforts to improve the administration of justice;
56          WHEREAS, Justice Durham is a past President of the National Association of Women
57     Judges and received the association's 1997 Honoree of the Year award;
58          WHEREAS, Justice Durham served on the governing board of the American Bar

59     Association's Commission on Women in the Profession;
60          WHEREAS, Justice Durham is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation;
61          WHEREAS, Justice Durham is an emeritus member of the Board of Overseers for the
62     Rand Corporation's Institute for Civil Justice;
63          WHEREAS, Justice Durham received the Transparent Courthouse Award from the
64     Institute for the Advancement of the Legal System for contributions to judicial accountability
65     and administration;
66          WHEREAS, Justice Durham served on the governing board of the American Inns of
67     Court Foundation,
68          WHEREAS, Justice Durham served on the governing board of the Appellate Judges
69     Conference of the American Bar Association;
70          WHEREAS, Justice Durham served on the governing board of the Federal Judicial
71     Conference's Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure;
72          WHEREAS, Justice Durham is an emeritus member of the Council of the American
73     Law Institute;
74          WHEREAS, Justice Durham received the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial
75     Excellence, one of our nation's highest judicial honors;
76          WHEREAS, Justice Durham received the Eighth Annual Dwight D. Opperman Award
77     for Judicial Excellence from the American Judicature Society;
78          WHEREAS, Justice Durham served for 12 years on the Utah Constitutional Revision
79     Commission;
80          WHEREAS, Justice Durham is a past President of the Conference of Chief Justices of
81     the United States;
82          WHEREAS, Justice Durham received honors throughout her career, including honorary
83     degrees from five Utah universities;
84          WHEREAS, Justice Durham's many accomplishments, awards, and tireless dedication
85     to the judiciary has brought great distinction to the state of Utah; and
86          WHEREAS, Justice Durham has served with excellence and distinction the citizens of
87     Utah in the judiciary for 39 years:
88          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
89     Governor concurring therein, honors Justice Christine M. Durham for her many

90     accomplishments and awards that bring distinction to the state of Utah.
91          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor honor Justice
92     Christine M. Durham for her many years of dedicated service to the judiciary and the citizens
93     of Utah.
94          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to Justice
95     Christine M. Durham.







Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel