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The president of the Utah Bar Association said a letter sent to a judge by Sen. Chris Buttars was an improper attempt to influence a judge - not a harmless expression of opinion as claimed by Senate leaders.
"The leadership of the Utah State Bar is deeply concerned that communications such as Senator Buttars' letter represent more than simple expressions of disappointment and are more appropriately characterized as attempts to improperly influence a judge's decisions based on politics," wrote V. Lowry Snow in on opinion piece in today's Salt Lake Tribune.
Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, who replaced Buttars as chairman of the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee last week, shortly after the letter was made public in The Tribune, said the bar's view doesn't change his perception that Buttars' letter is a free-speech matter.
"They do see it differently," said Valentine, an attorney. "Really what they have done is restated the facts and put their own spin on it."
The issue stems from a letter Buttars wrote in May to 4th District Judge Derek Pullan, chastising the judge and questioning his integrity over a ruling against Wendell Gibby, a developer and close friend of Buttars.
Meantime, the NAACP and 30 representatives of other groups gathered in the Capitol on Wednesday evening, to send a message they are united behind civil rights and education.
The gathering was motivated in part by racially inflammatory comments Buttars made earlier in the session - saying of a bill he opposed, "This baby is black. . . . It's a dark, ugly thing."
"It took a negative outlook on the entire session," said Jeanetta Williams, regional president of the NAACP. She also called for diversity training for other legislators.
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* Tribune reporter JENNIFER SANCHEZ contributed to this report.