(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Justice Christine Durham reads the Preamble Of The Constitution to Midvale Middle School children and other guests as the Utah State Courts celebrate Constitution Day in the rotunda of the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City Friday September 15, 2017.
In what is expected to be one of the last times she will speak publicly before retiring in November, Utah Supreme Court Justice Christine Durham spoke to a group of Utah schoolchildren Friday about the importance of the U.S. Constitution.
As middle school students nibbled on star-shaped cookies, Durham stood before a large American flag and read the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution and told them about how the document gave them the freedoms they enjoy today.
“When the Constitution says, ‘We the People,’ it means you,” she told the gathering of young students seated on the floor of the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse rotunda.
And when they’re old enough, Durham urged the students to do their part and become informed voters — and help raise the percentage of Utahns who cast a ballot. Utah most recently ranked 39th nationally among the 50 states for voter percentages, she added.
The Constitution Day celebration at the courthouse brought together middle school students with judges and legal professionals Friday afternoon to learn how courts operate through mock trials and celebrate the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Midvale Middle School children listen to Justice Christine Durham as she reads the Preamble Of The Constitution as the Utah State Courts celebrate Constitution Day in the rotunda of the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City Friday September 15, 2017.
Along with Durham, Utah State Bar President John Lund also spoke to the students.
The outgoing Supreme Court justice is scheduled to retire in mid-November. After Friday’s ceremony, she told news reporters that she “absolutely” believes another woman should be picked to take her place.
“There are so many qualified women for this position,” Durham said. “And frankly, in this era, to have the highest court in the state of Utah with no gender diversity would be a very sad thing.”
Durham became the state’s first female judge on a court of general jurisdiction in 1978. She also was the first woman to serve on the Utah Supreme Court when she was appointed in 1982. In 2002, she became the first woman to head up the state’s judiciary as chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court, a position she held for 10 years.
After accomplishing all that, what does Durham have planned for retirement?
“I haven‘t decided yet,” she said.
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