This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber, who has been the state's top federal prosecutor since 2015, will continue to serve in that position if confirmed by the Senate.
President Donald Trump on Monday announced his intent to nominate Huber and seven others around the nation to serve as United States attorneys. This first wave of candidates share the president's vision for "making America safe again," according to a White House news release.
On March 10, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked for the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys — including Huber — who were nominated by former President Barack Obama and who had stayed in the first weeks of the Trump administration. Several days later, Sessions appointed Huber as interim U.S. attorney during the transitional period.
It is customary for the 93 U.S. attorneys to step down once a new president takes office; 47 of them already had resigned by the time Sessions made his request.
Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Utah, said Monday that "out of respect for the nomination process, we will have no comment."
Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch said in a written statement that he is pleased Trump decided to reappoint Huber to his position.
"During his tenure with the Utah U.S. Attorney's Office, John has distinguished himself," Hatch said. "He has been involved in the highest profile cases and coordinated tasks forces on everything from counterterrorism to violent crime."
Huber was formally installed as the 37th U.S. attorney for Utah in August 2015, a few months after confirmation by the Senate.
The Magna native, who earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Utah, worked for the Weber County attorney's office before an eight-year stint at the West Valley City attorney's office as chief prosecutor. Beginning in 2002, Huber was on loan as a special assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting firearms crimes. He became an assistant U.S. attorney in 2005.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC