Utah Ethics

Judge Gordon J. Low, Chair

Judge Gordon J. Low was appointed to the First District Court in 1987 by Gov. Norman S. Bangerter and served as the presiding judge for Box Elder, Cache, and Rich counties. After receiving his JD from Arizona State University in 1973, he joined the law firm of Hillyard & Gunnell as an associate and later became a partner. Judge Low is a former member of the Commission on Justice in the 21st Century. He is a past chair of the Board of District Court Judges, the Judicial Conduct Commission, and the Utah Judicial Standing Committee on Education. Judge Low also served as a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Evidence and the Family Court Task Force.

Karen Morgan, Chair Pro Tempore

Ms. Karen Morgan is a former high school teacher. She was first elected to the Utah Legislature in 1998. She served five terms in the House of Representatives and served one term in the Utah Senate where she served as the Minority Whip. Morgan championed key issues such as education, literacy, healthcare, economic development and child protection. She founded the University of Utah Reading Clinic in 1999 through legislation she sponsored, and in 2011 she founded the “Best Schools Coalition,” which strives to make Utah’s public education system the best in the nation. Ms. Morgan has a Bachelors in secondary education from the University of Utah.

Judge Michael D. Lyon

Judge Michael D. Lyon was appointed to the Second District Court in July 1992 by Governor Norman H. Bangerter and served Davis, Morgan, and Weber counties. He was founding president of the Rex E. Lee American Inn of Court, an organization dedicated to promoting ethics and professionalism within the legal profession. Before becoming a district judge, Judge Lyon was the justice court judge for South Ogden City and practiced law with the law firm of Lyon, Helgesen, Waterfall, & Jones in Ogden. He is a past member of the Ethics & Disciplinary Committee and the Courts and Judges Committee of the Utah State Bar. He also served two terms on the Board of District Judges, including serving as its chair, and a term on the Utah Judicial Council. Judge Lyon received his B.S., cum laude, from Weber State College and his J.D. degree from the University of Utah in 1971. In 2013, he received the Utah State Bar’s Judge of the Year Award.

David Clark

Mr. Clark retired from his banking career as a Senior Vice President for International Banking for Zions Bank. Clark served as a member of the Utah State House of Representatives from 2000 – 2012, serving as Majority Leader from 2006 – 2008 and as the Speaker of the House from 2008 – 2010. Clark is best known for his work on health care issues, helping to create Utah’s Health Insurance Exchange and chairing the Health Reform Task Force. Mr. Clark has a Bachelors from Brigham Young University, where he played football for coach LaVell Edwards and is a graduate of University of Washington’s Pacific Coast School of Banking.

Judge J. Frederic Voros, Jr.

Judge J. Frederic Voros, Jr. was appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals in September 2009 by Governor Gary Herbert. He retired as presiding judge of the Utah Court of Appeals after eight years on the bench. Before becoming an appellate judge, he served 18 years in the Criminal Appeals Division of the Utah Attorney General’s Office, the last 10 as division chief. For 10 years, he taught appellate practice at both the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and the National Advocacy Center at the University of South Carolina. During his 20 years as an active member of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee, he had a hand in crafting many amendments to the rules of appellate practice. Judge Voros received his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 1975 and his J.D. from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 1978. He served as a law clerk to then-Justice Dallin H. Oaks on the Utah Supreme Court. Judge Voros is currently employed as an appellate attorney with Zimmerman Booher.