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Jeremy Duda
If you find yourself in Orem's 4th District Court next year, you may be missing a familiar face.
After 25 years on the bench, Judge John C. Backlund has announced that he will retire at the end of the year. Backlund, who has been the only judge at Orem's courthouse for nearly 10 years, said he plans to go into business with relatives, stay active by running and fly fishing, and serve an LDS mission with his wife.
"I'm not going to have any lack of activities," Backlund said.
For judges who were appointed before the age of 55, 25 years is the maximum amount of time that can be accrued toward retirement, so Backlund, who turns 62 in November, said it is a good time for him to retire.
Backlund grew up in Torrance, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles, and attended Brigham Young University after serving an LDS mission in Sweden. After getting his law degree at the University of Utah in 1974, he and his wife moved back to Utah County.
Backlund worked in private practice and as a city attorney for Pleasant Grove, Alpine and Lindon before becoming a judge. He was appointed in 1983 to the 8th Circuit Court, which was later merged with the 4th District Court.
In 25 years on the bench, Backlund said he has seen some unfortunate trends take root. He lamented the extent to which Utah County's substance-abuse problem has grown since he was appointed to the bench. While DUI cases involving alcohol have decreased in the past quarter century, he said, DUI cases involving prescription and illegal drugs have increased to take up the slack. Backlund said he has also seen increasing abuse of the prescription painkiller Oxycontin lead to a rise in heroin use.
"The nature of our cases has changed somewhat from 1983, unfortunately. I think most judges would acknowledge that the substance-abuse problem is much more serious than it was then," he said. "And then there's a larger component of our cases that deal with domestic violence."
But Backlund has also seen some positive things. He touted the series of domestic-violence meetings his court holds every Thursday. People convicted of domestic violence offenses check in every 60 days so the court, the Division of Child and Family Services and the private probation company Argus can gauge the progress of people who are taking part in a counseling program for domestic violence offenders. Backlund said the rate of repeat offenders in the program has dropped.
"That's been one of the most successful things that we've done here in Orem," Backlund said. "We're having people wholeheartedly get involved in counseling."
He also praised the people who have improved their lives in substance-abuse treatment programs and as a result have been able to turn their lives around and, in some cases, get their children back.
"It's an enjoyable thing to do to try to help people resolve the problems that come their way in life, and it's so rewarding to see, especially in criminal matters, that they can overcome their challenges and make some positive changes," Backlund said.
A judicial nominating committee for the 4th District will take applications for a new judge and submit five names to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who will choose a nominee to send to the state Senate for confirmation. Attorneys who are interested in filling Backlund's seat on the bench can apply to the Administrative Office of the Courts. Applications must be received by June 13.
• Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or
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