Utah Supreme Court elections
There are five justices on the Utah Supreme Court. For more information about these elections, visit the Utah judicial elections page.
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Utah
The five justices of the supreme court are selected through assisted appointment. The governor selects a nominee from a list of recommended candidates from a judicial nominating commission. The nominee then must attain approval from the Utah Senate.
New appointees serve for at least three years, after which they must run in a yes-no retention election. If retained, supreme court justices serve subsequent terms of ten years.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on the Utah Supreme Court, a judge must be:
- a citizen of the United States;
- a state resident for at least five years;
- admitted to practice law in the state;
- at least 30 years old; and
- no more than 75 years old.[1]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is selected by peer vote. The chief justice of the supreme court serves in that capacity for four years.[1]
Vacancies
When a vacancy occurs on the court, the governor appoints a replacement from a list of seven names recommended by a nominating commission. The nominee then must attain approval from the Utah Senate. New appointees serve for at least three years, after which they must run in a yes-no retention election. If retained, supreme court justices serve subsequent terms of ten years.[1]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Elections
2024
- See also: Utah Supreme Court elections, 2024
Matthew Durrant's seat
General election
General election for Utah Supreme Court
Incumbent Matthew Durrant won election in the general election for Utah Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Matthew Durrant (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 958,760 |
| Total votes: 958,760 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2022
- See also: Utah Supreme Court elections, 2022
Candidates and results
Petersen's seat
Utah Supreme Court, Paige Petersen's seat
Paige Petersen was retained to the Utah Supreme Court on November 8, 2022 with 82.7% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
82.7
|
757,044 | ||
No |
17.3
|
158,668 | |||
Total Votes |
915,712 | ||||
|
|
2020
- See also: Utah Supreme Court elections, 2020
Candidates and results
Pearce's seat
General election candidates
- John A. Pearce (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
2018
- Main article: Utah Supreme Court elections, 2018
Candidates and results
Himona's seat
Utah Supreme Court, Himonas' seat
Deno Himonas was retained to the Utah Supreme Court on November 6, 2018 with 78.6% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
78.6
|
688,473 | ||
No |
21.4
|
187,038 | |||
Total Votes |
875,511 | ||||
|
|
2014
Retention
| Judge | Election Vote |
|---|---|
| Christine Durham | 77.8%  |
| Thomas Rex Lee | 75.5% |
| Matthew Durrant | 77.6% |
See also
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Utah • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Utah
State courts:
Utah Supreme Court • Utah Court of Appeals • Utah District Courts • Utah Juvenile Courts • Utah Justice Courts
State resources:
Courts in Utah • Utah judicial elections • Judicial selection in Utah
