Glenn Iwasaki
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Hon.Glenn K. Iwasaki is a Utah State Court Judge for the Third Judicial District Court, which serves the Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties of Utah. He was appointed to the bench in July of 1992 by Governor Norman H. Bangerter, and has served there since..[1]
Early Life and Education
Judge Glenn K. Iwasaki received his JD from the University of Utah College of Law in 1971. Iwasaki, whose family was held in an Idaho internment camp for people of Japanese ancestry during World War II, was the 13th ethnic minority admitted to the Utah State Bar. He has said in an interview with the Deseret News that he decided to become a lawyer at age 14 because he saw this career as a way to help other people. He was also guided by his family’s strong work ethic and the high expectations that his parents held for him and his siblings. Iwasaki became a lawyer and then a judge; his brother became an engineer, and his sister became a nurse. “We all went to college,” Iwasaki said. “We never sat down and talked about it, but that was something that was expected of us.”[2]
Legal Career
During Iwasaki's legal career, he has been both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, having served as a Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney, as a trial attorney for the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association, and as a partner in the law firm of Collard, Pixton, Iwasaki & Downes. During his tenure as Deputy Salt Lake County attorney he also served as unit chief for the Special Victims Prosecution Unit.
Iwasaki has been an adjunct professor of Law at the University of Utah and has served on the Board of Trustees of its S.J. Quinney College of Law Alumni Association.[3], [4]
Judicial Career
Judge Glenn Iwasaki was named 2008 “Judge of the Year” by the Utah State Bar. He is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a recipient of the Raymond S. Uno Award from the Utah State Bar.[5] Iwasaki served as chair of the Youth Parole Authority, along with the Utah Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Judicial System. For more information on this committee and their results, visit: [6] and [7]. Iwasaki has been a member of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure. He has been on the Committee for Improving Jury Service, as well as the KUED board. Every 6 years Court Judges stand for retention election, and in 2008 Judge Iwasaki compliance review was exceptional. In addition to being named 2008 “Judge of the Year” by the Utah State Bar, he retained over 95% approval ratings on all retention survey questions answered by Attorneys and was subsequently retained in office by the Utah voters. [8] In an article published in the Utah Bar Journal titled "What Do I Know," Judge Iwasaki offers some insight into his personality, what is important to him, and what he expects from practitioners who appear in his courtroom. He says that certain behavior such as being honest, courteous, concise, professional, prompt, ethical, and having integrity all go without saying, but one key to successful appearance is to get his name right! [9]. The Litigation section of the Utah State Bar has also published a "Bench Book" outlining Judge Iwasaki's courtroom practices and preferences. [10]
Notable Cases
Judge Iwasaki has presided over many notable cases in his last two decades on the bench. The most recent notable case relates to the Trolley Square shooting in SLC, Ut in 2007, where a shooting spree at the Trolley Square Mall resulted in the death of five bystanders before the gunman was shot dead by police. In a wrongful death and personal injury civil action brought by a victim of the shooting, Judge Iwasaki has ruled that a jury will decide whether one of the guns sold to the gunman by a local pawn shop was done legally or not. At the heart of the issue is whether the Mossberg 88 pistol-grip 12-guage weapon sold to the gunman qualifies under the legal definition as a “shotgun.” It is illegal to sell a firearm to a person under 21, with the exception of shotguns and rifles. The weapon purchased came with a pistol grip, and plaintiffs say that made the sale of the gun illegal. A jury will likely decide the case in the Spring of 2012. [11]
Personal Background
Judge Glenn Iwasaki has a cousin, Judge Paul Iwasaki, who serves as a Juvenile Court Judge in the 2nd District.[12]
References
- ^ http://judgepedia.org/index.php/Glenn_K._Iwasaki
- ^ http://webster.utahbar.org/news/2008/07/
- ^ http://www.utcourts.gov/judgesbios/showGallery.asp?dist=3&ct_type=D#2770
- ^ http://www.xmission.com/~jrp/biographies.html
- ^ http://www.utahbar.org/cle/annualconvention/materials/04_awards.pdf
- ^ http://www.utcourts.gov/specproj/retaskforce/spr98int.htm
- ^ http://www.utcourts.gov/specproj/retaskforce/prept8.pdf
- ^ http://elections.utah.gov/racepdf/142740228/race/158668974.pdf
- ^ http://litigation.utahbar.org/assets/iwasaki_what_do_i_know.pdf
- ^ http://litigation.utahbar.org/3rd_district_iwasaki.html
- ^ http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=14547012
- ^ http://www.utahbar.org/bars/umba/news_judge_paul_iwasaki.html
External links
http://www.utahbar.org/cle/annualconvention/materials/04_awards.pdf http://litigation.utahbar.org/assets/iwasaki_what_do_i_know.pdf http://judgepedia.org/index.php/Glenn_K._Iwasaki http://www.utcourts.gov/judgesbios/showGallery.asp?dist=3&ct_type=D#2770 http://elections.utah.gov/racepdf/142740228/race/158668974.pdf http://elections.utah.gov/2002%20General%20Canvass%20Judicial.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Blue_Galli http://www.xmission.com/~jrp/biographies.html http://litigation.utahbar.org/3rd_district_iwasaki.html http://www.utcourts.gov/specproj/retaskforce/spr98int.htm http://www.utcourts.gov/specproj/retaskforce/prept8.pdf http://webster.utahbar.org/news/2008/07/ http://www.utahbar.org/bars/umba/news_judge_paul_iwasaki.html