WASHINGTON — They all wear the same robes, interpret the same federal law and earn roughly the same amount of money for their service. But Utah's nine federal judges are a mixed bag when it comes to their financial portfolios.

Deseret Morning News graphic Wealth of judges Requires Adobe Acrobat. Story continues below

Some are rich, some are less affluent. Some are stock-market junkies with a wide range of investments, while others stake their retirement on safe IRAs and government pensions.

And according to federal financial disclosure reports required of all federal judges, Utah's judges have a wide range of potential conflicts of interests, ranging from part ownership of a gold mine to a busted investment in the defunct energy giant Enron — a business boondoggle that is now before the federal courts.

At least one judge is a millionaire, and two or three others could be close to joining the well-heeled club, according to their 2003 reports, the most recent year for which reports are available online by the watchdog group Judicial Watch.

Two have investments worth well into six figures, and the other three have little or nothing outside of their judicial salaries, according to the reports, which require judges to annually reveal, within certain ranges, their outside income and the value of their assets.

Prosperous judge

Far and away, U.S. District Judge David K. Winder is the most well-to-do of the federal judges in Utah.

According to his 2003 disclosure form, Winder has investment and trust assets worth at least $1.54 million, but they could be worth as much as $3.32 million. (The disclosures list only a range of the assets' value, not the exact amount.)

Speaking candidly about his rosy financial picture, the senior jurist said his actual worth in 2003 was close to the middle of the range.