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Trump Reappoints Utah US Attorney John Huber

U.S. Department of Justice

President Trump has renominated U.S. Attorney John Huber to serve as Utah's chief federal prosecutor, just three months after ordering his resignation. 

Huber was one of 46 federal prosecutors appointed under President Obama asked to resign by the Trump administration in March.

Now, President Trump has re-nominated Huber among eight new appointments announced by the White House on Monday.

Paul Cassell, a criminal law professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law, said Huber has a good reputation and strong credentials.  

“He’s a no nonsense prosecutor; he comes out of a prosecutorial background, so I think it’s a strong appointment that is very consistent with President Trump’s ‘law and order’ orientation,” he said.

In a written statement, Sen. Orrin Hatch said he’s pleased with the appointment, pledging full support for Huber, who has served as Utah’s lead federal prosecutor since 2015.

While U.S. attorneys handle cases varying from counter-terrorism to drug enforcement, Cassell said he wouldn't be surprised to see Huber focus on areas Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have prioritized like violent crime. 

“I might expect to see a little bit of focus on those particular areas,” he said. “Also, immigration enforcement is a priority of the current president, so there might be some additional resources devoted to those types of cases as well.” 

The nomination will next go to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.

Julia joined KUER in 2016 after a year reporting at the NPR member station in Reno, Nev. During her stint, she covered battleground politics, school overcrowding, and any story that would take her to the crystal blue shores of Lake Tahoe. Her work earned her two regional Edward R. Murrow awards. Originally from the mountains of Western North Carolina, Julia graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2008 with a degree in journalism. She’s worked as both a print and radio reporter in several states and several countries — from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to Dakar, Senegal. Her curiosity about the American West led her to take a spontaneous, one-way road trip to the Great Basin, where she intends to continue preaching the gospel of community journalism, public radio and podcasting. In her spare time, you’ll find her hanging with her beagle Bodhi, taking pictures of her food and watching Patrick Swayze movies.
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