Gov. Jon Huntsman confirmed he was behind — way, way behind — Judge Robert Hilder, who was denied a seat on the Utah Court of Appeals by the Senate. Days after gun-lovers mopped the Senate floor with Hilder's reputation, Huntsman, who had nominated the judge, made some supportive noises to The Tribune.

It's a very strange way to compliment somebody on reaching the pinnacle of success in their career.

You can read more wonderful but belated recommendations from Huntsman here. I like this one:

I heard nothing but uniform praise about Bob Hilder. And I still believe he is one of the best legal minds in our state. And it's a shame that he . . . was voted down.

Unfortunately, Hilder had ruled the wrong way on a guns-on-campus case.

The governor's lack of assertiveness in helping Hilder through the Senate has left us wondering:

a.) Did Huntsman take cover when he realized the gun lovers were swarming against Hilder.
b.) Is this some another example of Huntsman misguidedly pursuing "diplomacy" with the Legislature rather than engaging in a knife fight.

The Lege has never been big on subtlty or separation of powers and the Hilder incident has more than the legal community concerned. Many wonder if any judge who ever hands down a ruling displeasing to the Legislature — think of issues such as school clubs or liquor cases or power plants — can forget about advancement.