Utah Lawyer Named for No. 2 Justice Post

WASHINGTON —  Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III has selected Harold G. Christensen, a prominent Utah trial lawyer, to fill the vacant No. 2 job at the Justice Department, Administration sources said Tuesday.

The sources said Meese recommended Christensen to the White House on Monday as a replacement for Arnold I. Burns, who resigned March 29 to protest Meese’s leadership of the department.

An Administration official said Tuesday there were no apparent obstacles to nominating the 62-year-old Salt Lake City lawyer, but emphasized that he would be subjected to careful background checks before any announcement is made.

Christensen, a veteran litigator and senior partner in a prominent 60-lawyer firm, was president of the Utah State Bar in 1975-76. He is a registered Republican, but has never held a government job and has not been active in politics.