Utah bill proposes 67% vote requirement for judicial retention
Feb 11, 2025, 2:11 PM | Updated: 2:12 pm
The Utah judiciary seal is pictured at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City. A 19-year-old was ordered to spend time in jail, on probation for the gang-related assault of a 14-year-old in a school parking lot. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah lawmaker wants to increase the percentage of votes judges and supreme court justices need for retention.
Under current state law, a simple majority is needed in the general election for a judicial retention. However, a new bill would require a minimum of 67% of votes.
Rep. Jason B. Kyle, R-Salt Lake City, is the bill’s chief sponsor.
KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas said he thinks the bill is unnecessary.
“It’s probably not going to make a difference because we’ve seen a number of judges who almost always exceed that amount. It just seems to be a little bit of something to punish the judiciary,” Skordas said.
“It’s hard enough to get people to become judges because of such a huge cut in pay. This seems to be just a little bit of a way to make it even more challenging.”
The bill has yet to be discussed or voted on by lawmakers.
KSL NewsRadio has reached out to the bill sponsor for comment. At the time of publication, Rep. Kyle had not been in contact.
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