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Senate leaders had known for months about Sen. Chris Buttars' letter scolding a state judge who ruled against his friend, but let him continue to head the committee that screens judicial appointments until the letter hit the news media.

Senate President John Valentine removed Buttars as chairman of the Senate Judicial Confirmation Commission on Monday, three days after his scathing letter to 4th District Judge Derek Pullan was reported in The Salt Lake Tribune.

Buttars wrote the letter on Senate letterhead in May on behalf of his friend Wendell Gibby, a radiologist and developer who has been in a running clash with the city of Mapleton. In it, Buttars reminded Pullan that, as chairman of the confirmation committee, he had advocated on Pullan's behalf and was embarrassed by a decision he rendered against Gibby. He accused the judge of "bias" and questioned his integrity.

Pullan entered the letter into the court record. It also came to the attention of the Judicial Council, the panel chaired by Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Christine Durham that oversees Utah's courts, which sent the letter to Senate leaders in June.

"We gave the letter to President Valentine for the Senate to deal with internally," said Richard Schwermer, assistant administrator of the Administrative Office of the Utah Courts. The council did not provide any recommendation with the letter, he said. "If we have issues, we let him know. . . . It was an issue. We let him know about it."

A spokesman for Valentine said in a statement late Tuesday that Buttars' letter was a "private expression of disappointment to a judge he helped confirm."

It was an exercise of the senator's First Amendment rights, and made no threats and demanded no action, said Ric Cantrell.

"The scope and impact of that letter changed dramatically when it was published statewide. Senate leadership was concerned the letter may have an impact in the judicial application and confirmation process," the statement said.

Buttars in recent days faced a firestorm of criticism for his racially charged comments on the Senate floor two weeks ago. When Valentine, an attorney, removed him from the judicial committee chairmanship, he declined to give a reason.

But the report in The Tribune of Buttars' letter to the judge had touched off another wave of protest - this one in the legal community.

"We started to get messages and e-mails and letters from lawyers who were concerned and supporting the judge as a good jurist," said John Baldwin, executive director of the Utah Bar Association.

Bar President Lowry Snow said there was enough concern about the letter that the bar's board of commissioners scheduled a conference call Monday to discuss what to do about the issue. Shortly before the call took place, however, Valentine announced Buttars had been replaced as chairman by Sen. Greg Bell, R.-Fruit Heights.

Asked whether Buttars' removal as chairman satisfied the Bar's concerns, Snow said, "We believe it's a step in the right direction."

Buttars, who is not an attorney, has served as chairman of the judicial confirmation committee since he first came to the Legislature in 2001 and has frequently criticized the judiciary.

Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble, R.-Provo, who also serves as chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, said there has been no complaint filed against Buttars as a result of the letter.

Legislative ethics rules state that "Members of the Senate or House shall not exercise undue influence on any government entity."

Under Senate rules, it would take three senators to sign a letter to initiate an ethics investigation.

Rep. Roz McGee, D.-Salt Lake City, who sponsored legislation this session to create an independent ethics commission, suggested that the Buttars case may point out the need for better ethical oversight.

"If there had been an ethics commission, perhaps the matter could have been addressed," she said. "Part of the value of establishing an independent ethics commission is reminding elected officials and the public that where vigilance is needed, there would be a place to take problems and complaints."