School Board attorney files to run for attorney general

SALT LAKE CITY— Jean Hill, an attorney for the State Board of Education, has filed to run for state attorney general.

"I am running for Attorney General of Utah because I believe in protecting the public interest,” said Hill. “When the AG and vast majority of the Legislature are from the same party, the public interest gets lost in partisan politics. However, with the combined talents of the attorneys in the AG’s office, the AG can do more, such as protect the vulnerable from predatory lenders or overzealous developers, or protect teens from dating violence, or protect the public coffers from legislation that does little more than generate useless and expensive litigation.

“I am running to protect the public interest and restore the balance necessary for good government.”

Legal advice Ms. Hill provided the Board of Education regarding implementation of a controversial voucher law was upheld by the Utah Supreme Court in June of 2007. The ruling paved the way for the November vote that threw out the law.

Comment from Democratic Party of Utah

“Democrats have struck gold. Jean has been at the top of our list of AG candidates for almost a year,” said Wayne Holland, chairman of the Utah Democratic Party. “Jean demonstrated her integrity and leadership last year when she took a stand against implementing vouchers and against the politically tainted opinion of the current attorney general.

“The current attorney general has politicized the office in service of his own ambitions,” said Holland. “Jean will bring a fresh spirit to the office; she will work for Utahns.”

Biography

Jean Welch Hill is an attorney for the State Board of Education. Since 1999 she has provided legal counsel to the Board, school districts, school administrators, teachers, parents, legislators and any one else with questions about public education law in Utah.

Ms. Hill also prosecutes educator misconduct cases before the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission, ensuring that educators who violate the public trust are no longer permitted to teach in this or any other state. She is a member of the National Council of State Education Attorneys and the State Advisory Board on Children’s Justice. She also serves on the Boards of Directors of Wasatch Community Gardens and the Law-Related Education Project.

Before joining the State Office, Ms. Hill worked as a high school history teacher at Judge Memorial High School in Salt Lake and was an editorial writer and columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune. She attended the University of Utah, receiving a Bachelors of Science in Political Science and in Geography. Ms. Hill graduated from the University of Utah College of Law in 1995.

Ms. Hill has three children, Noah, Nathan and Samuel, and will celebrate her 16th wedding anniversary in May. Her husband, Ron Hill is a history teacher and coach at Judge Memorial.