Federal Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells retired at the expiration of her term on June 3, 2019. Wells was originally appointed to the position on June 4, 2003. She earned both her undergraduate degree and Juris Doctor degree from the University of Utah, graduating from the university’s S.J. Quinney College of Law in 1977. She became an assistant U.S. attorney in 1994.

 

The United States District Court for the District of Utah—based in Salt Lake City—is one of 94 United States district courts. The court contains five seats, two of which are currently vacant. This total does not include senior judges or magistrate judges. Federal magistrate judges are not appointed by the president and do not serve life terms. Instead, magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years.

 

The district court announced earlier this year that Cecilia Romero would fill the vacancy created by Wells’ retirement. Like Wells, Romero also received her J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. Her previous experience includes serving as a civil litigator and working as a partner at the law firm Holland & Hart.