Utah Supreme Court Justice Christine M. Durham will retire from the bench, effective November 16, ending a 35-year tenure.
Justice Durham became Utah’s first female judge on a court of general jurisdiction in 1978. She was also the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court when she was appointed by Governor Scott Matheson in 1982. Justice Durham became the first woman to head up the state’s judiciary as chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court in 2002, a position she held for 10 years.
While there has been a 30 percent increase in women on the bench in Utah, Justice Durham believes it is still too low. She remains one of two women to have served on the Utah Supreme Court. “I remain discouraged, occasionally, about how far we still have to go,” Justice Durham said.
Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant said that Justice Durham is “a brilliant jurist, a wonderful colleague and a truly remarkable human being.”
Read more about Justice Durham’s inspiring career in the Salt Lake Tribune.