Provo, UT---Judge Derek P. Pullan has been named presiding judge for the Fourth District Court effective March 2007. Judge Pullan replaces Judge Anthony Schofield who is retiring from the court to return to private practice. Judge Samuel D. McVey has been named associate presiding judge.
Gov. Michael Leavitt appointed Judge Pullan to the Fourth District Court in September 2003. Judge Pullan received a law degree from Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1993, graduating cum laude. He worked as a law clerk at the Utah Supreme Court from 1993 to 1994 and as a deputy county attorney in Washington and Wasatch counties from 1994 to 1999. Judge Pullan was appointed and subsequently elected to serve as the Wasatch County Attorney from 1999 to 2003. He is a member of the American Inns of Court.
Gov. Olene Walker appointed Judge McVey to the Fourth District Court in April 2004. Judge McVey graduated with distinction from the United State Naval Academy in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Engineering. He received a law degree from Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1983, graduating magna cum laude. Judge McVey served in the United States Marine Corps from 1977 to 1989 and again from 2003 to 2004, where he was an artillery officer and judge advocate. He was a partner in the law firm of Kirton & McConkie from 1989 to 2003 and volunteered as a judge pro tem from 1994 to 2003.
The presiding judge is responsible for the effective operation of their court. According to court Rule 3-104, presiding judges are responsible for implementation and enforcement of statutes, rules, policies, and directives of the Judicial Council as they pertain to the administration of the courts. The presiding judge is responsible for assigning cases and judges. Presiding judges and associated presiding judges are elected by a majority vote of the judges of their court. When the presiding judge is unavailable, the associate presiding judge assumes his or her responsibilities.
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