Ask newly retired Utah Supreme Court Justice Richard C. Howe how his colleagues will remember his years on the bench and he'll sum himself up in a single word: fair.
"I took my time making up my mind. I was never so sure of myself that I could turn off the other argument," Howe said in a recent interview. "I tried to be very deliberate."
Tuesday, the 78-year-old Howe was honored by his friends and colleagues at a reception in the chambers of the state's highest court. He served 22 years on the Supreme Court, including four as chief justice, before stepping down Dec. 31.
President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came up with a few more terms to describe Howe, his classmate in law school at the University of Utah.
"It is rare that so many judicial qualities can be found in one person," Faust said. "By nature, he is patient, courteous, intelligent, thoughtful, wise, friendly, strong-minded with a great sense of humor and totally honest."
Howe's strongest quality, Faust said, is being a "perfect gentleman" who holds fast to his integrity. That was evident when the two men were both law students and when Howe served as a Murray city judge and as a member of the Utah Legislature for 18 years, including a term as House speaker.
Faust described Tuesday's reception as both a happy and a sad event. "It is sad because in my opinion, the state is losing the wisdom and experience of one of the most distinguished jurists in the history of Utah," he said.
Gov. Mike Leavitt presented Howe with a commendation on behalf of the people of Utah for being "a great leader and one who will long be remembered."
Howe was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1980 by a fellow Democrat, the late Gov. Scott Matheson. Howe has been called an "old-time Democrat," a label he said "simply means you have a link or some rapport with the common people, you kind of look out for their interests."
As a judge, Howe said, he "had to be fair to the rich and to the poor. I couldn't really discriminate in that way." He said after so many years in politics, serving on the high court was more isolated.
"The day-to-day rubbing of elbows — I missed that," Howe said, then chuckled. "I didn't have to slap anybody on the back anymore. I didn't even have to be pleasant."
Tuesday, Chief Justice Christine Durham offered a few examples of Howe's sense of humor in chambers. Once, she said, he joked that he would have given Leavitt a nicer wedding present had he known that Leavitt was one day going to become governor.
Durham, who last April became the first woman to lead Utah's high court when Howe's term as chief justice ended, said he was reluctant about a reception being held in his honor.
Standing before nearly 200 members of the bench, the bar and his family, Howe said he didn't deserve the attention. "I've had opportunities and experiences far beyond that received by most people," he said.
Howe told of working on a road crew alongside Faust during their breaks from law school. They learned how to spread gravel, he said. Howe said with a smile that he wasn't sure then what they'd amount to, but "we did get better jobs than that."
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