Simarjit Singh Gill (born 1961) is the District Attorney for

Salt Lake County Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The co ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, first elected to the office in November 2010.

Career

Before his District Attorney election, Sim Gill worked as Salt Lake City's Chief Prosecutor. Sim Gill was elected as the Salt Lake County District Attorney in November 2010, by defeating incumbent Lohra Miller, after losing the race to her in 2006. As a veteran prosecutor, Sim has championed issues of therapeutic justice, criminal prosecution, and alternatives to prosecution. On March 18, 2014, Gill announced his bid for a second term, and in November of the same year, defeated Republican challenger Steve Nelson, retaining his position as the District Attorney. In 2018, Gill announced that he would run for a third term, and in November of the same year, defeated challenger Nathan Evershed. Sim has collaborated on the creation and implementation of various therapeutic justice programs, including Mental Health Court, Veterans Court, Salt Lake City Domestic Violence Court, Misdemeanor Drug Court and the Salt Lake Area Family Justice Center.

Education and election

In 2010, Gill became the District Attorney by defeating the incumbent Lohra Miller after losing to her in 2006. On March 18, 2014, Gill announced his bid for a second term and in November of the same year, defeated the Republican challenger Steve Nelson to retain his position as the District Attorney. Before becoming the District Attorney, Gill worked as Salt Lake City's Chief Prosecutor. Gill graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. degree in History and Philosophy. He received his J. D. degree and certificate of specialization in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Gill was admitted to the Utah Bar in 1993.

Prominent cases

Gill participated in the prosecution of

Brian David Mitchell Elizabeth Ann Smart was kidnapped at age fourteen on June 5, 2002, by Brian David Mitchell from her home in the Federal Heights neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. She was held captive by Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, on the outskirts ...

, the man guilty of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart. He filed felony corruption and bribery charges against Utah Attorneys General

Mark Shurtleff Mark Leonard Shurtleff (born August 9, 1957) is an American attorney, former three-term Utah Attorney General, and founder of the Shurtleff Law Firm and the Shurtleff Group. He was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm Troutman ...

and John Swallow in 2014. Charges against Shurtleff were dropped in 2016, and Swallow was found not guilty of all charges in 2017. In July 2020 Gill ruled that the killing of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, in which officers Neil Iverson and Kevin Fortuna fired 34 shots, was justified. A crowd gathered at the District Attorney’s office to protest Gill’s decision, which eventually led to vandalism of the DA’s office as well as the surrounding road. Gill charged 7 protestors with "gang enhancement" crimes which carry sentences up to life in prison.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Sim 1961 births Living people Lawyers from Salt Lake City District attorneys in Utah Utah Democrats Lewis & Clark Law School alumni University of Utah alumni American politicians of Indian descent Indian emigrants to the United States