Appointed to the court of appeals in 2010 after three years as a trial court judge, Judge Michele Christiansen scored consistent with the average of her appellate court peers in all survey categories. Survey respondents characterized Judge Christiansen as attentive, polite, and intelligent, scoring her most favorably for the equal respect she shows all courtroom participants. Of the adjectives chosen to describe her, 90% were positive. Of respondents who answered the retention question, 86% recommended that Judge Christiansen be retained. Despite these commendable survey results, Judge Christiansen was slow in writing opinions and thus did not meet the judiciary’s minimum performance standard governing timeliness of opinions. The commission has some concern about a pattern of lateness; however, because the conditions affecting Judge Christiansen’s performance appear to be temporary and her survey results are solidly acceptable, the commission recommends that Judge Christiansen be retained.
The commission reviewed surveys in addition to verifying that Judge Christiansen has met all judicial education requirements and discipline standards established by the judicial branch.
Judge Michele M. Christiansen was appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals in June 2010 after serving for three years as a Third District Court judge. After graduating from the University of Utah College of Law, she clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell. She then worked in private practice at Parsons Behle & Latimer, as a federal prosecutor, and as General Counsel for Governor Jon Huntsman. Judge Christiansen currently serves as co-chair of the Utah State Bar’s Pro Bono Commission, serves on the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Judicial Council’s Ethics Advisory Committee, is chair of the Judicial Council’s Commissioner Conduct Committee, and is an adjunct professor at the U of U College of Law.