Gov. Cox appoints Derek Williams to Utah’s Third District Court

SALT LAKE CITY (July 11, 2025) –  Governor Spencer J. Cox has appointed attorney Derek Williams to the 3rd District Court. The nomination is subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.

Williams is a partner at Campbell, Williams, Ference, Nelson & Hall, where he focuses on medical-malpractice defense and adoption law. Earlier in his career he was a partner at Snow Christensen & Martineau and clerked for Judge Pamela T. Greenwood on the Utah Court of Appeals. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and a past president of the Utah Adoption Council.

“Derek’s two decades of trial experience and his nationally recognized work in complex adoption law have prepared him well for the bench,” said Gov. Cox. “His blend of legal skill, compassion, and dedication to public service will be a strong asset to Utahns in the Third District Court.”

A graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah (J.D., 2003), Williams earned his B.S. in political science from the University of Utah and an A.A.S. in criminal justice and French from Ricks College. He and his wife, Candie, adopted their two children early in his legal career—a personal experience that prompted him to develop a specialty in helping other families navigate complex adoptions.

“I am deeply honored by Governor Cox’s confidence in me to serve as a judge in the 3rd District,” Williams said. “If confirmed, I am committed to applying the law with integrity and a dedication to fairness and justice. I will work hard to further strengthen our state’s judiciary alongside an esteemed group of judges across Utah.”