This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
President Barack Obama picked a 47-year-old Magna native with a history of prosecuting domestic violence and gun cases as Utah's next U.S. attorney.
John Huber, who is an assistant U.S. attorney in Utah, will await a Senate confirmation vote before he can become the state's top federal prosecutor.
He has already earned the praise of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Hatch released a statement Wednesday that said: "John is a highly skilled prosecutor with extensive experience at both the local and federal levels. He is well respected among the Utah law enforcement community as a strong leader and will bring continuity and stability to this critically important position. I am committed to help ensure that John receives full consideration by the Senate and a fair and prompt confirmation."
Huber would take over for acting U.S. Attorney Carlie Christensen, who has served in the post since last summer when David Barlow stepped down after three years to rejoin a law firm in Washington, D.C.
Huber grew up in Magna and still lives there with his wife and two daughters. In 2014, he was named the president of the LDS Church's Magna Utah East Stake.
He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Utah before joining the Weber County Attorney's Office. He spent eight years as a prosecutor for West Valley City and then joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in 2002.
The Department of Justice honored Huber in 2010 for his work on criminal cases. That included his work on behalf of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which seeks to prosecute gun crimes to the fullest extent of the law.
A gunman killed five and wounded four others at Salt Lake City's Trolley Square in 2007 using guns that he had illegally obtained. Huber helped prosecute four men involved in providing a handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun to the shooter, who ended up dying in a standoff with police.
"If those people had obeyed the law, the perpetrator wouldn't have gotten those guns," Huber said.
Three received probation but one man was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Twitter: @mattcanham