Gov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed Jennifer Valencia to fill a judicial vacancy on the Second District Court.
“I am pleased to appoint Jennifer to the Second District Court bench. Jennifer has spent more than 19 years serving our state, and she possesses an exceptional understanding of the law,” Gov. Herbert said. “I have seen her work ethic and commitment to excellence first-hand, especially through her recent service to the Utah Sentencing Commission, and I have complete confidence that Jennifer will be a fine addition to the Second District Court.”
Valencia is currently the director of the Utah Sentencing Commission, where she coordinates the activities of 27 individuals who develop and recommend effective sentencing policies and practices for the state. Prior to this service, Valencia acted as a deputy district attorney for the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office from 2008 to 2013. She also served as an assistant attorney general in the Utah Attorney General’s Office from 1997 to 2008, where she represented the Office of Recovery Services in establishing, modifying, and collecting child support obligations, and prosecuted felony non-support cases in the First and Second District Courts. Valencia received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Weber State University in 1994, and her Juris Doctor from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in 1997.
“I am sincerely grateful and humbled by the governor’s appointment to serve as a judge in the Second District Court. I cannot imagine a greater honor. If confirmed, I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly to the administration of justice with objectivity, neutrality and integrity,” Valencia said.
Subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate, Valencia will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Scott Hadley.
