3rd District Court Judge Anthony B. Quinn died yesterday after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle in Millcreek Canyon. An avid cyclist, Judge Quinn was appointed to the court just over 16 years ago by then Governor Mike Leavitt. Judge Quinn received his law degree from Brigham Young University in 1980, worked as a clerk for a year with U.S. District Judge David Winder and then ran a successful civil trial practice.
In 1997, Former Governor Mike Leavitt appointed Quinn to the 3rd district court. Leavitt says Utah’s entire legal community is feeling the loss of this respected judge.
“I saw a couple of things in Judge Quinn that I learned to value. One was the sense of demeanor and bearing and humanity," says Leavitt. "The second was a clear desire to be a judge. It was evident that he had prepared himself…that it was a personal and professional aspiration to be of service to people,” Leavitt says.
Jill Woodruff clerked for Judge Quinn for 15 years. She says members of the court system are like family and she can’t imagine working for anyone else.
“He introduced me to his brother as his work family. He says Jill’s like family to me, you know, I see her more than my regular family. So, you do, in this environment you get really close,” says Woodruff.
Judge Anthony Quinn was a member of the Utah State Bar. He was eligible to argue cases in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He was 60 years old. Funeral arraignments have yet to be announced.
