D. Frank Wilkins | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Utah Supreme Court | |
| In office 1976–1980 | |
| Appointed by | Cal Rampton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 25, 1924 |
| Died | January 2, 2006(2006-01-02) (aged 81) |
| Alma mater | George Washington University Law School University of Utah |
D. Frank Wilkins (April 25, 1924 – January 2, 2006)[1] was a justice of theUtah Supreme Court from 1976 to 1980.[2]
He was born inTooele, Utah on April 25, 1924. He attendedWest High School and theUniversity of Utah in Salt Lake City, then went toGeorge Washington University Law School.[3] After law school, Wilkins was a Salt Lake County Deputy County Attorney, and then in private law practice.[2] In 1961, Wilkins was elected chair of theUtah Democratic Party.[3]
In 1967,Governor Cal Rampton appointed Wilkins as a 3rd District Court Judge, where he served until 1974.[2] Rampton elevated Wilkins to the Supreme Court in 1976.[3] One notable decision Wilkins wrote while on the supreme court upheld the death sentence ofPierre Selby, one of the convicted 'Hi-Fi' murderers.[2] He resigned from the court in 1980 and returned to private practice.[2]
In his private practice, he was one of the defense lawyers in the murder trial of avowed racistJoseph Paul Franklin.[2] He was still working at the time of his death in 2006.[3]