US EditionUtah governor signs bill adding justices to state Supreme Court as redistricting appeal looms
The bill expands Utah's Supreme Court from five to seven justices and adds judges to lower courts to address caseload growth amid political tensions, passing with over two-thirds support.
- On Saturday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed S.B. 134, which expands the state Supreme Court from five to seven justices after passing with more than two-thirds support, taking effect immediately.
- The move follows the Legislature's appeal of a redistricting ruling that fueled Republican frustration after court defeats, while Utah Chief Justice Matthew Durrant said the court had 'essentially no backlog,' prompting critics to call the timing suspicious.
- S.B. 134 expands courts across levels by adding two judges to the Court of Appeals, one district judge each to the Third, Fourth and Fifth Judicial District courts, and new Supreme Court nominees need governor appointment and state Senate confirmation.
- The expansion gives Cox the ability to appoint five of the seven justices, potentially reshaping the court before the redistricting appeal is decided.
- Legal experts and the Utah State Bar warn the expansion could weaken judicial independence and echo court-packing claims seen in Arizona and Georgia, while supporters cite Utah's growing 3.6 million population and caseload.
45 Articles
45 Articles
Republicans can’t stop doing the one thing they should fear most
Though some of the Supreme Court’s Republican justices occasionally break with President Donald Trump, they typically do so on issues that split the Republican Party. | Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer Cox, signed legislation over the weekend that will add two seats to his state’s supreme court — seats that Cox plans to fill shortly. The law is widely viewed as an effort to move Utah’s highest court t…
Utah’s Highest Court Hits Growth Spurt Amid High-Stakes Redistricting Brawl
Utah’s Supreme Court just got a bit more crowded, and the timing is anything but accidental. On Saturday, Governor Spencer Cox signed S.B. 134 into law, officially expanding the state’s highest judicial body from five seats to seven. While the move is being framed by supporters as a way to handle a growing and complex […] Utah’s Highest Court Hits Growth Spurt Amid High-Stakes Redistricting Brawl
Utah Republicans Pack the State Supreme Court
Salt Lake Tribune: “After filling the two new seats, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will have appointed five of the seven justices.” “In addition to dealing the Legislature a crushing blow in the redistricting challenge, the courts have, in recent years, blocked Utah’s ban on most abortions, temporarily stopped a law banning transgender girls from playing high school sports, and found the state’s school voucher program unconstitutional.”
Utah Expands Its Supreme Court
Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Saturday that expands Utah's Supreme Court from five justices to seven as frustration has mounted among Republican lawmakers over a string of defeats before the tribunal. Advocates for the change argued that it will improve the court's efficiency; legal experts said it could have...
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