Utah Supreme Court elections, 2020
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John A. Pearce was retained to the Utah Supreme Court on November 3, 2020 with 81.8% of the vote.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Utah modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: The third-party collection and return of absentee ballots was restricted to individuals residing in the same household as the voter.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and results
Pearce's seat
General election candidates
- John A. Pearce (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
Past elections
2018
- See also: Utah Supreme Court elections, 2018
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 | ||||
|
|
About the Utah Supreme Court
- See also: Utah Supreme Court
The Utah Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Utah. It was established in 1894 when Utah became a state, partly growing out of an earlier territorial supreme court that was established by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1850. The court is composed of five members—a chief justice, an associate chief justice, and three justices—who serve renewable 10-year terms.[1]
Political composition
This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election. Judges are appointed by the governor from a list of names recommended by a nominating commission.
| ■ Matthew Durrant | Appointed by Gov. Michael Leavitt (R) in 2000; retained in 2014 | |
| ■ Deno Himonas | Appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert (R) in 2014 | |
| ■ Thomas Rex Lee | Appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert (R) in 2010; retained in 2014 | |
| ■ John A. Pearce | Appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert (R) in 2015 | |
| ■ Paige Petersen | Appointed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) in 2017 |
Selection
- See also: Assisted appointment
The five justices of the supreme court are selected by assisted appointment. 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.[2][3] 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.[2]
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.[2]
Selection of the chief justice
The chief justice is selected by peer vote. The chief justice serves in that capacity for four years.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Utah State Courts, "An Overview of the Utah Supreme Court," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Utah," archived October 6, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Utah; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2014
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
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