John Frederic Voros Jr., the chief of the criminal appeals division of the Utah Attorney General's Office, sailed through the interview process Tuesday with the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee.

The group unanimously voted to recommend Voros for a spot on the Utah Court of Appeals. His nomination now goes to the full Senate for final approval.

The cordial nature of the meeting contrasted dramatically with the tumultuous gathering a year ago this month when the committee rejected the nomination of 3rd District Judge Robert Hilder, who also appeared before the group as a potential candidate for the Court of Appeals.

Voros has worked in the appeals division since 1991 and told the committee the reading, research, writing and other tasks associated with that job suited his skills perfectly.

Committee members were keenly interested in the idea of "judicial activism," and, in response to several questions, Voros uttered the famous statement that this nation is a "nation of laws, not of men."

As for someone being a "judicial activist," Voros said, "I do not see that as the role of a judge. We expect judges to apply the law as written, not as we wish they were written."

He said if he is chosen for the Court of Appeals, he would follow the laws as found in the statutes and, if some were vague, he would look to constitutional opinions and decision issued by the Utah Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court.

— Linda Thomson