Watch: Gov. Spencer J. Cox appoints Judge Diana Hagen to Utah Supreme Court

SALT LAKE CITY (March 29, 2022)  – Today, Gov. Spencer J. Cox named Utah Court of Appeals Judge Diana Hagen as his choice to serve as a Utah Supreme Court Justice. The governor’s nominations are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.

“Judge Hagen’s distinguished career as an appellate court judge and federal prosecutor as well as her leadership and service in numerous professional and community groups have well prepared her for this moment,” Gov. Cox said. “We are delighted she is willing to take on a new challenge and know she will serve the people of Utah with integrity.” 

Judge Hagen was appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals in June 2017 by former Gov. Gary R. Herbert. In her current position, she also serves as chair of the Supreme Court OPC Oversight Committee; chair of the Judicial Education Committee; and appellate court representative on the Utah Sentencing Commission. Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Hagen was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Utah, serving as the chief of the appellate section for nearly a decade before her promotion to First Assistant. During her 17 years as a federal prosecutor, she handled hundreds of appeals as well as high-profile trials, including the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case and the murder of Millard County Sheriff’s Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox.

“I am grateful to Gov. Cox for the confidence he has placed in me and especially honored to have been selected from an outstanding group of nominees,” Hagen said. “I am mindful of the great responsibility and public trust that comes with this appointment. If confirmed by the Utah Senate, I will work hard to be deserving of that trust.”

In 1998, she received her law degree Order of the Coif from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where she was a member of the National Moot Court Team and the Utah Law Review editorial board. Following law school, she served as a law clerk for United States District Court Judge Tena Campbell. 

Judge Hagen has served as president of Women Lawyers of Utah, the Salt Lake County Bar Association, and the Utah Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She also spent many years as an adjunct professor at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where she taught appellate practice and coached intercollegiate moot court teams.

Judge Hagen has received the Federal Bar Association Distinguished Service Award, four United States Attorney’s Awards, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Award and many other honors. She was also a member of the Utah Dating Violence Task Force, a Girl Scout troop leader for six years, and vice chair of the Mountain View Elementary Community Council.

Judge Hagen grew up in Ogden and attended Ben Lomond High School. She still lives in the Ogden area with her husband, Tobin, and their two children, Kaira and Archer. They love camping together in the Wasatch mountains and are all avid scuba divers. 

Judge Diana Hagen’s photo is linked here.

Download this press release here.

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