'Decent Dave' Winder dies at 76

U.S. District Judge David Kent Winder, 76, died Tuesday following a long illness.

President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Winder, a former prosecutor, attorney in private practice and a 3rd District state-court judge, to the federal bench in 1979. Judge Winder's polite and even-handed courtroom demeanor earned him many awards throughout his career and, early on, produced the nickname "Decent Dave."

"The American Lawyer" magazine in 1983 termed him the best district judge in the 10th Circuit and lauded him for being well-informed and well-prepared for the cases before him, praising his "compulsion to master the details of every matter before oral argument."

Judge Winder was known for his punctuality and a work ethic that included 12-hour days and reading legal documents on Saturdays to be fully aware of the contents of each one before court hearings took place.

U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman said Tuesday that Judge Winder was "universally respected and admired" by those who work in U.S. Attorney's Office.

"We knew he would come to the bench each day having thoroughly studied the issues to be argued. He had a perfect judicial temperament," Tolman said. "He never demanded respect; he earned it. He treated everyone who appeared before him with fairness and dignity. His contributions to the federal bench and his example as a judge will long be remembered."

Judge Winder was born in Salt Lake City in 1932, graduated from Granite High School, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951-52, got an English degree from the University of Utah in 1955 and received his law degree from Stanford University in 1958.

Nate Alder, president of the Utah State Bar, recalls being a fresh-from-college law clerk in 1995 with a tiny office just down the hall from Judge Winder.

"Every lawyer in town appreciated him," Alder said. "He was the epitome of what a judge should be: prepared, professional, civil, personable, fair. He just brought a level of sophistication to the bench that everyone appreciated, and he was the standard-bearer for years. I think a lot of people decided to become judges because he was such a great judge."

Alder also said Judge Winder inspired attorneys to do their best legal work, because it would be unseemly to appear before such a hard-working judge unprepared.

"He was universally loved and respected by lawyers," Alder said. "When he ruled against you, you knew exactly why, and you felt he was fair."

During his career, Judge Winder worked as an assistant U.S. attorney, became chief deputy district attorney and was a partner in the Salt Lake City law firm Strong & Hanni.