UTAH COURTS MOURN PASSING OF JUDGE CHRISTINE DECKER

Salt Lake City, UT — Fellow Utah State Court judges and administrators took time to honor retired Third District Juvenile Judge Christine Decker after news of her passing yesterday.

Judge Decker had retired from the bench in February 2015, but remained active in advisory and training rolls for the court.

“Judge Decker cared deeply about the children and families she served,” Said Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Durrant. “She touched the lives of many, and her influence will be felt for years to come.”

Judge Decker was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court bench in August 2004 by Governor Olene Walker. She graduated cum laude in 1971 from Georgetown University in International Relations, and received a law degree from the University of Utah in 1975. From 1977 to 1978, she worked as a deputy county attorney in Salt Lake County, and as a bail commissioner for Salt Lake City in 1979. Judge Decker worked in private practice from 1994 to 1997 and as a Guardian ad Litem in Third District Juvenile Court from 1997 to 2002. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Decker was an assistant attorney general in the child protection division.

“Her years of exceptional service to the children and families of Utah will not soon be forgotten. Our deepest sympathies are with her husband Rod and their family,” said Utah State Court Administrator Rick Schwermer.

In 2015, Judge Decker was awarded the Christine M. Durham Woman Lawyer of the Year and the 2015 Matheson award for outstanding service to the youth of Utah.

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