JUDGE RITA M. CORNISH
Judge Rita M. Cornish was appointed to the Second District Court in November 2020 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. She took the bench in January 2021 and serves Davis, Morgan, and Weber Counties. Judge Cornish received a bachelor's degree and Ph.D in Chemistry from the University of Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law with highest honors, Order of the Coif in 2006, where she served on the staff of the Utah Law Review and was an editor for the Journal of Law and Family Studies. Following her graduation from law school, Judge Cornish clerked for the Hon. Carolyn B. McHugh on the Utah Court of Appeals. Judge Cornish joined the law firm of Parr Brown Gee & Loveless in 2007, where she maintained a complex-civil litigation practice, including ADR, trial, and appellate work, until her appointment to the bench. Judge Cornish's practice focused on construction litigation and control disputes, and breaches of fiduciary duties by officers, directors, or managers in closely-held business entities. Prior to her appointment, Judge Cornish served as the President of the S.J. Quinney College of Law Young Alumni Association, a member of the S.J. Quinney College of Law Board of Trustees, Treasurer and Secretary of the Salt Lake County Bar Association, and a member of Closer to Cure Foundation Board of Directors. Judge Cornish received the Young Alumna of the Year award from the S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2009. 1/21
