David O. Leavitt
Encyclopedia
David Okerlund Leavitt is a criminal justice
attorney and businessman from Utah
.
and also spent time in Loa
on the family farm. He was involved in public life from a young age. His father, Dixie Leavitt, was a State Senator
in Utah and also ran for governor in 1976. Leavitt's older brother, Michael O. Leavitt was elected Governor of Utah for three terms starting in 1992 and was the Secretary of Health and Human Services
under President Bush.
After graduating from high school, Leavitt served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York City
. He learned Spanish
and worked among the Hispanic
population.
where he served as the city attorney
and maintained a private law practice. He worked there until 1995, when he was appointed Juab County Attorney
. After serving eight years as county attorney, in 2003, he again resumed his private practice and entered the field of business.
During his eight years as county attorney, Leavitt advised the Juab County Commission and other elected county officials. As the chief law enforcement officer of the county, David either prosecuted or supervised the prosecution of over one thousand felony
cases and over eight thousand misdemeanor
cases with a conviction rate of 96%. His most notable case was his prosecution of polygamist Tom Green.
As Juab County Attorney, David served on the board of directors of the Utah Association of Counties, the Utah Prosecution Council, and the Statewide Association of Public Attorneys. His work on the Tom Green case and his involvement in state affairs earned him the honor of being named County Attorney of the Year in 2001 by the Utah Association of Counties.
and one count of failure to pay child support
. The charge of child rape was severed from the latter charges and on May 18, 2001 Green was convicted of the counts of bigamy and criminal non-support. He appealed the ruling in 2004 claiming that it violated the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause, that Utah's bigamy statute was unconstitutionally vague and that the district court was incorrect in applying Utah's unsolemnized marriage statute. The district court's ruling was upheld by The Supreme Court of Utah. On June 24, 2002, Green was convicted of child rape. He appealed this conviction in 2005, on grounds of statute limitation and venue, but the trial court's rulings were affirmed by The Supreme Court of the State of Utah.
in Ukraine
assisting the Ukrainian government in converting its criminal justice system from a Soviet-style system to one that more closely approximates the American criminal justice system. He accepted the invitation and moved with Chelom and six children to Ukraine. Following his one year stint in Ukraine, Leavitt started The Leavitt Institute For International Development to continue the work he started in 2004.
David O. Leavitt made a run for the United States House of Representatives
in Utah's Third Congressional District
. He was eliminated at the Utah State Republican Convention in May 2008.
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
attorney and businessman from Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
Early life
David Leavitt was born to Dixie and Anne Leavitt, the fifth of six brothers. He was raised in Cedar City, UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and also spent time in Loa
Loa, Utah
Loa is a town in, and the county seat of, Wayne County, Utah, United States, along State Route 24. The population was 525 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Loa is located at ....
on the family farm. He was involved in public life from a young age. His father, Dixie Leavitt, was a State Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
in Utah and also ran for governor in 1976. Leavitt's older brother, Michael O. Leavitt was elected Governor of Utah for three terms starting in 1992 and was the Secretary of Health and Human Services
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet...
under President Bush.
After graduating from high school, Leavitt served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He learned Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and worked among the Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
population.
Education
- High School
- Cedar High SchoolCedar High SchoolCedar High School, also known as Cedar City High School or CHS, is a public secondary school located at 703 West 600 South in Cedar City, Utah...
, 1982
- Cedar High School
- College
- Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, 1988- B.A., English
- Brigham Young University
- Law School
- J. Reuben Clark Law SchoolJ. Reuben Clark Law SchoolThe J. Reuben Clark Law School is a professional graduate school located in Provo, Utah at Brigham Young University. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, Jr.—former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and LDS Church General Authority—and its charter dean was former...
, 1991- J.D. Degree
- J. Reuben Clark Law School
Career
Leavitt was admitted to the Utah Bar in 1991, and moved with his wife, Chelom Leavitt (née Eastwood), and children to Fillmore, UtahFillmore, Utah
Fillmore is a city in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,253 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Millard County. It is named for the thirteenth US President Millard Fillmore....
where he served as the city attorney
City attorney
A city attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality....
and maintained a private law practice. He worked there until 1995, when he was appointed Juab County Attorney
County attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
. After serving eight years as county attorney, in 2003, he again resumed his private practice and entered the field of business.
County attorney
In 1995, the Juab County Commission appointed Leavitt to serve as the Juab County Attorney, replacing Donald Eyre who was appointed to a district court judgeship. The following year he ran unopposed in a special election for county attorney. He won re-election in 1998 and served until January 2003 after having lost the 2002 election by 22 votes.During his eight years as county attorney, Leavitt advised the Juab County Commission and other elected county officials. As the chief law enforcement officer of the county, David either prosecuted or supervised the prosecution of over one thousand felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
cases and over eight thousand misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
cases with a conviction rate of 96%. His most notable case was his prosecution of polygamist Tom Green.
As Juab County Attorney, David served on the board of directors of the Utah Association of Counties, the Utah Prosecution Council, and the Statewide Association of Public Attorneys. His work on the Tom Green case and his involvement in state affairs earned him the honor of being named County Attorney of the Year in 2001 by the Utah Association of Counties.
Tom Green (polygamist) trial
In April 2000, Leavitt, on behalf of the State of Utah, filed an information against polygamist Thomas Arthur Green of West Desert, Utah charging him with one count of rape of a child, four counts of bigamyPolygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
and one count of failure to pay child support
Child support
In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...
. The charge of child rape was severed from the latter charges and on May 18, 2001 Green was convicted of the counts of bigamy and criminal non-support. He appealed the ruling in 2004 claiming that it violated the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause, that Utah's bigamy statute was unconstitutionally vague and that the district court was incorrect in applying Utah's unsolemnized marriage statute. The district court's ruling was upheld by The Supreme Court of Utah. On June 24, 2002, Green was convicted of child rape. He appealed this conviction in 2005, on grounds of statute limitation and venue, but the trial court's rulings were affirmed by The Supreme Court of the State of Utah.
Present
Leavitt returned to private practice in 2003, focusing on government relations and federal criminal defense. In 2004, the American Bar Association asked Leavitt to spend a year in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
assisting the Ukrainian government in converting its criminal justice system from a Soviet-style system to one that more closely approximates the American criminal justice system. He accepted the invitation and moved with Chelom and six children to Ukraine. Following his one year stint in Ukraine, Leavitt started The Leavitt Institute For International Development to continue the work he started in 2004.
David O. Leavitt made a run for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in Utah's Third Congressional District
Utah's 3rd congressional district
Utah's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. It currently covers nearly all of Utah County and the west side of Salt Lake County, in central and west central Utah....
. He was eliminated at the Utah State Republican Convention in May 2008.