Utah Republican lawmakers propose changes to judicial retention elections
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Two proposed bills at the Utah legislature would significantly change retention elections for Utah’s judges.
Perhaps the most straightforward of these is H.B. 262, a bill sponsored by Rep. Jason Kyle (R – Huntsville), which would raise the threshold for judges to be retained from a simple majority to 67%.
The proposals come as GOP lawmakers in Utah have repeatedly decried Utah’s recent redistricting decision by a Third District judge, and the time it took to get that ruling.
H.J.R. 13 sponsored by Rep. Walt Brooks (R-St. George) is a proposed constitutional change stating that “if the Legislature determines that a judge is unfit or incompetent, persistently fails to make timely decisions in a case, or has engaged in conduct that violates the judge’s oath of office, is improper, or creates an appearance of impropriety, the Legislature may initiate a process for the judge to be subject to a special retention election as soon as practicable.”
https://www.abc4.com/news/politics/inside-utah-politics/utah-republican-lawmakers-judicial-retention-elections/