Merrill Nelson Explained

Merrill Nelson
State House:Utah
District:68th
Term Start:January 1, 2013
Term End:December 31, 2022
Predecessor:Bill Wright
Successor:Scott Chew
State House3:Utah
Term Start3:January 1, 1991
Term End3:December 31, 1992
Successor3:-->
Birth Date:16 July 1955
Birth Place:Tooele, Utah
Nationality:American
Party:Republican
Spouse:Karen Nelson[1]
Children:5
Residence:Grantsville, Utah
Alma Mater:Brigham Young University
J. Reuben Clark Law School
Profession:Lawyer

Merrill F. Nelson[2] (born July 16, 1955 in Tooele, Utah) is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives representing District 68.[3] Merrill announced he was not seeking re-election in 2022.

Early life and career

Nelson was born in Grantsville, UT. He was the fourth child of eight children of Ruth Nelson (née Francom) and Russell A Nelson. His mother was born in Payson, UT; his father in Tooele, UT. When Merrill was born, his father was a farmer.[4] [5]

Nelson earned his BS in agricultural economics from Brigham Young University and his JD from J. Reuben Clark Law School. He has worked as a Supreme Court Law Clerk from 1982–83 and on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Appellate Procedure from 1986-87. Nelson is a member of the Utah State Bar. Nelson chairs the Guardian ad Litem Oversight Committee, and has also worked on the Fair Boundaries Coalition since 2011. He also serves as chair of the Grantsville Old Folks Sociable.[6] [7]

Political career and elections

During the 2022 legislative session, Nelson served on the Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, House Health and Human Services Committee, and House Transportation Committee.[8]

Notable legislation

2022 sponsored legislation

Bill Number Bill Name Bill Status
HB 87 Procurement Code RevisionsHouse/ filed - 3/4/22
HB 143 DUI Penalty AmendmentsHouse/ filed - 3/4/22
HB 205County Officer Fees AmendmentsGovernor signed - 3/24/22
HB 219Uniform Unregulated Child Custody Transfer ActGovernor signed - 3/24/22
HB 344Utah Medical Candor ActGovernor signed - 3/24/22
HJR 13Joint Resolution Amending Court Rules of Procedure and Evidence to Address the Medical Candor ProcessHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing - 3/14/22
HR 1House Rules Resolution - Reconsideration of ActionHouse/ filed - 3/4/22
[16]

Arizona Child Abuse Controversy

Nelson worked for law firm Kirton McConkie[17] which represents the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[18] based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. In this capacity, one of his duties was receiving phone calls from ecclesiastical leaders through a helpline to give legal advice regarding sensitive situations. Many of these phone calls to the helpline[19] [20] are made by Bishops of the LDS faith looking for legal advice around domestic violence and abuse reported to them through confessions of members in their Ward or local community. Nelson was named in a lawsuit brought against the church, alleging that he gave legal advice to two Bishops not to report a case of sexual abuse of children to law enforcement or child protective services.[21] Section 13-3620 of the Arizona Code allows clergy members (like Bishops) to choose whether reporting abuse disclosed in a confession is in the best interests of the parties involved.[22] [23] The church asserts that, as required by Arizona law, the Bishop sought permission from the perpetrator of the abuse to report his confession to the authorities.[23] When the perpetrator declined to grant permission, the Bishop asked both the perpetrator and his wife to report the abuse themselves, but both again refused.[23] In April 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Arizona's clergy-privilege law properly applies to LDS Bishops.[24]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Aaron Merrill Nelson .
  2. Web site: Merrill F. Nelson (R) . . . January 30, 2014 . September 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170920090541/http://le.utah.gov/house2/detail.jsp?i=NELSOMF . live .
  3. Web site: Merrill Nelson's Biography . . January 30, 2014 . September 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220909180532/https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/25595/merrill-nelson . live .
  4. Web site: RUSSELL NELSON Obituary (2009) Deseret News . .
  5. Web site: RUTH FRANCOM NELSON Obituary (2010) the Salt Lake Tribune . .
  6. Web site: www.MerrillNelson.com . 9 September 2022 . Served three years on the Guardian ad litem Oversight Committee appointed by Utah Judicial Council; acting chairman. Served on Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Appellate Procedure. Author and presenter on constitutional issues; chapter author, "Confronting Pornography." Clerked on Utah Supreme Court. Editor of BYU Law Review. .
  7. Web site: Representative Nelson . house.utleg.gov . 5 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220406064217/http://house.utleg.gov/rep/NELSOMF/. 6 April 2022.
  8. Web site: Merrill Nelson. Utah House of Representatives. Salt Lake City, Utah. March 12, 2022. September 20, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170920090541/http://le.utah.gov/house2/detail.jsp?i=NELSOMF. live.
  9. Web site: Merrill Nelson. Ballotpedia. March 23, 2022. March 23, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220323202838/https://ballotpedia.org/Merrill_Nelson. live.
  10. Web site: 2014 Election results. Ballotpedia. April 12, 2016. November 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109042107/https://ballotpedia.org/Utah_House_of_Representatives_District_68. live.
  11. Web site: 2012 Primary Canvass Reports . . Salt Lake City, Utah . January 30, 2014 . March 4, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140304164607/http://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/Documents/Election_Results/Primary/2012%20Primary%20Canvass%20Reports.xlsx . live .
  12. Web site: 2012 General Canvass Report . Lieutenant Governor of Utah . Salt Lake City, Utah . January 30, 2014 . March 4, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140304164434/http://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/2012%20Canvass/2012%20General%20Canvass%20Report.xls . live .
  13. Web site: 1998 General Election Results . Lieutenant Governor of Utah . Salt Lake City, Utah . 2 . January 30, 2014 . March 4, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140304164625/http://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/Documents/Election_Results/General/1998Gen.pdf . live .
  14. Web site: Dave. 2022-03-03. H.B. 143 DUI Penalty Amendments. Utah State Legislature. en. 2022-03-14. 2022-03-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20220314210450/https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/static/HB0143.html. live.
  15. Web site: 2022-03-03. H.B. 344 Utah Medical Candor Act. Utah State Legislature. en. 2022-03-14. 2022-03-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20220314210441/https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/static/HB0344.html. live.
  16. Web site: 2016 Legislation. Salt Lake City, Utah. April 12, 2016. May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510150557/http://le.utah.gov/asp/billsintro/RepResults.asp?Listbox3=NELSOMF&cyear=y. live.
  17. Web site: Archived copy . LawyerDB.com . September 9, 2022 . September 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220909180559/https://www.lawyerdb.org/Lawyer/Merrill-Nelson . live .
  18. News: Pitzel . Mary Jo . Lawsuit: LDS Church officials, teacher knew of abuse but kept silent . September 9, 2022 . AZ Central . September 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220909180531/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2020/11/30/mormon-church-sued-over-not-reporting-fathers-sexual-abuse-his-children/6356979002/ . live .
  19. News: REZENDES . Michael . Seven years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it happen . September 9, 2022 . AP News . August 4, 2022 . September 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220907040742/https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-investigation-e0e39cf9aa4fbe0d8c1442033b894660 . live .
  20. Web site: Mormon abuse cases - Wikipedia . 2022-09-09 . 2022-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220815092140/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_abuse_cases . live .
  21. News: Rezendes . Michael . Docs show Rep. Merrill Nelson advised a church bishop not to report abuse . September 9, 2022 . KUER Radio . Associated Press . 2022-09-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220909180531/https://www.kuer.org/race-religion-social-justice/2022-09-08/docs-show-rep-merrill-nelson-advised-a-church-bishop-not-to-report-abuse . live .
  22. Web site: View Document .
  23. Web site: Arizona Supreme Court upholds Latter-day Saint priest-penitent privilege in sex abuse case .
  24. Web site: Arizona court upholds clergy privilege in child abuse case - AZPM .

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