Bill > SB0233

This bill makes several changes to the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, which is responsible for assessing judges' performance for retention elections. Key provisions include renumbering and reorganizing sections related to the commission's creation, membership, and operations, clarifying definitions for terms like "judge" and "meets or exceeds minimum performance standards," and establishing new rules for commission meetings, voting procedures, and disclosure of conflicts of interest. The bill also modifies how judicial performance surveys are conducted and what information they include, such as expanding the respondent pool and detailing specific evaluation categories like legal competence, impartiality, communication ability, judicial temperament, and administrative capacity. Additionally, it sets new certification standards for judges, including specific timelines for issuing opinions for Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges, and mandates a study on whether the frequency of judges being overturned on appeal should be included in their evaluations, with a report due by November 1, 2026. The bill also clarifies that certain records related to individual commissioner votes and disclosed conflicts of interest are protected.

Justice

https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/SB0233.html