This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Washington • A new vacancy has opened up on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals traditionally saved for a Utahn after Judge Michael R. Murphy announced Monday he would take on a more limited role.
Murphy, 65, who served as a state judge in Utah before President Bill Clinton tapped him for the circuit court in 1995, will take senior status with the appellate panel, a move that means he will hear fewer cases and open up a full-time spot.
It will be up to President Barack Obama to nominate, and the Senate to confirm, a new judge for the circuit that covers Utah and five other states.
Two seats on the circuit are reserved for Utahns; the state's other spot is held by Judge Scott Matheson Jr.
Thomas Burr