SALT LAKE CITY Defense attorneys should be first in the legal world to get a COVID-19 vaccine, some Utah judges said Monday. Frankly, these aren t our employees, but if you ask me who really needed vaccination on my team, I would say it s the public defenders, 2nd District Judge David Connors told fellow members of the Utah Judicial Council.
Connors said the lawyers, who represent many in jail, are facing real serious questions about whether they can interact with their clients.
Utah s inmates, for their part, are not set to be inoculated in mass until March.
The coronavirus has spread rapidly in several of the state s county jails, where defense lawyers typically visit defendants to discuss their cases and prepare a defense. Although jailers have restricted the meetings, many continue to take place within the facilities, with glass separating attorneys from their clients.
• Dec 21, 2020
Incoming Gov. and Lt. Gov., Spencer Cox and Deidre Henerson, announced names for 19 cabinet and senior staff appointments on Monday, including nominating current Cache County Executive, Craig Buttars to be the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Food.
Other appointments include Jon Pike, the mayor of St. George, as commissioner of the Utah Insurance Department and Mayor Jenney Rees of Cedar Hills as the executive director of the Department of Administrative Services.
The press release also announced that Rich Saunders, who has been interim executive director of the Department of Health since September, is now named as the permanent executive director.
Cox appoints new UDOH director Eli Kirshbaum | Dec 21, 2020
Share this:
Gov.-elect Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov.-elect Deidre Henderson announced a number of new executive appointments on Monday, including a new leader of the Utah Department of Health (UDOH). Rich Saunders will replace Dr. Joseph K. Miner as Executive Director of UDOH under the Cox Administration.
Having worked at UDOH since 2015, Saunders has significant experience with the department. He was a consultant in the department’s Division of Medicaid and Health Financing in 2015. He later became Director of the department’s Office of Organizational Development and Performance Improvement.
He was asked to be the Chief Deputy in March 2020, and became the department’s Interim Director in August 2020 the position he currently holds. Assuming these roles during the pandemic, Saunders played a significant role in the state’s COVID-19 response.
Gov.-elect Cox taps local officials from across Utah for Cabinet roles
Share this story
Silas Walker, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY Gov.-elect Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov.-elect Deidre Henderson announced a list of 19 Cabinet appointments on Monday, including several familiar faces from local elected offices from across the state of Utah.
“After a thorough interview process, I’m convinced each of these candidates will serve the citizens of Utah exceptionally well,” Cox said in a news release. “Each has impeccable qualifications, brings fresh ideas and, most importantly, is devoted to public service. We’re lucky to have such brilliant minds willing to serve the public.”