Senate confirms DeCaria for judgeship 24-3
news: Senate confirms DeCaria for judgeship 24-3
Weber County Attorney Mark DeCaria will soon be donning judge's robes and ruling from a 2nd District Court bench.
State senators confirmed the Democrat's appointment Thursday in a 24-3 vote.
"The man is one of the most prepared people I've seen this body ratify as a judge," said Sen. Jon Greiner, R-Ogden, describing DeCaria as "a great attorney, a stellar, stand-up kind of guy."
DeCaria, an Ogden native, served as Weber County's top prosecutor since 1993.
Republican senators Mark Madsen, Howard Stephenson and Steve Urquhart cast the dissenting votes.
"I just think there are a lot of qualified people in the state, I think we could have done better," Urquhart said, declining to comment further.
DeCaria was tapped in June, along with Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings to investigate bribery allegations in the State Treasurer's race.
Former Rep. Mark Walker, one of the Republican candidates in a contentious primary, ended up resigning his House seat and pleading guilty to a class B misdemeanor violation of state election code.
© March 12, 2009 The Salt Lake Tribune
