This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I don't know whether Su J. Chon, Gov. Gary Herbert's nominee for the 3rd District Court, is qualified to be a judge or disqualified for lack of trial court experience ("Utah Senate panel rejects only minority judge candidate," Tribune, Aug. 15).

But her rejection by the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee looks suspicious, considering that "other sitting judges didn't have such experience before their confirmation" and that "the only other gubernatorial appointee to be denied confirmation was … in 2008."

The guys in the Senate seem to hold her to a higher standard than other candidates. Perhaps because she is a minority, or a woman, or both. Voters north of Ogden should remember this discrimination, and vote against the confirmation committee chairman, Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City.

Most disturbing, Chon was "the state's first minority judicial candidate in more than five years" and "the only minority among Herbert's 25 judicial nominations." Hmmm … makes one think Herbert only appointed Chon to clean up his bleak record before the election.

Herbert's sorry record of not appointing minorities to the bench is reason enough to vote against him in November. We need a governor of all the people.

Albert Johnson

Salt Lake City