Third District Judge William A. Thorne Jr. has been confirmed by the state Senate to become Utah's first minority judge on the state's Court of Appeals.
The unanimous confirmation came after much discussion about his qualifications and possible inclinations as an appellate court judge, said Sen. Terry Spencer, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Thorne, a Pomo Indian from northern California, was the first member of a racial minority appointed to one of Utah's higher courts, and he is believed to be the first American Indian appointed to an appellate court in the nation.
He was appointed by Gov. Mike Leavitt two weeks ago to fill the vacancy left on the seven-member court by Justice Michael J. Wilkins, who was sworn as a member of the Utah Supreme Court earlier this year.
Aside from serving 14 years as a circuit and district judge, Thorne has served as the chief justice of the Colorado River Tribal Appeals Court and as appeals court judge and associate trial judge for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Court.
Thorne had also been nominated to the state Supreme Court in November to fill one of the vacancies left by retiring justices Michael D. Zimmerman and I. Daniel Stewart.
After being appointed, Thorne told the Deseret News he hoped to "serve as a bridge" for minority communities.
"He brings a different perspective," Spencer said. "A wider variety of backgrounds on the bench is a good thing, and I think Judge Thorne brings a new perspective to the bench that is not there now."
"It's a special appointment that should be truly celebrated as yet another door opened for people of color," said Trystan Smith, acting president of the Utah Minority Bar Association.
Utah's American Indian community celebrated Thorne's accomplishments with a powwow Saturday. It was sponsored by the Title IX School District, at the Indian Walk-In Center, 120 W. 1300 South.
Thorne's swearing-in is scheduled for June 19 before the Supreme Court.
During the same confirmation hearing last week, the Senate also unanimously confirmed Judge Paul D. Lyman to the 6th District Juvenile Court. Lyman, a former Richfield mayor who most recently worked as a part-time deputy county attorney for Sevier and Wayne counties, was appointed by Leavitt last month to fill the vacancy that will be left by retiring Judge Louis G. Tervort.