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HB 424UTAHSession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Utah Bill 424 Alters Judicial Selection by Allowing the Governor to Appoint Non-Nominees and Removing Chief Justice Appointment Authority

Original title: Judicial Nomination Amendments

Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsor: Jason Kyle

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Proposed

Official description

This bill addresses judicial selection.

Why it matters

Changes the balance of appointment power between the executive branch and the judicial branch when filling state court vacancies, altering how judges reach the bench.

Background
  • Judicial vacancies in Utah courts of record are traditionally filled through a nominating commission process that submits a certified list of candidates to the governor. context
  • H.J.R. 5 is a companion joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment regarding judicial nominations during the 2026 General Session. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Governor

Gains the authority to appoint judicial candidates not certified by a nominating commission and has previous time constraints and backup appointment restrictions removed.

Directly affected

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Loses the statutory authority to appoint an applicant from a certified list if the governor fails to fill a judicial vacancy within the designated timeframe.

Directly affected

Judicial Nominating Commissions

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a judicial nominating commission does not nominate a specific candidate?
Under the bill, the governor is authorized to appoint any qualified candidate to a even if that candidate was not included on the list of nominees certified by the judicial nominating commission.
Does the chief justice of the Supreme Court still appoint a judge if the governor misses a deadline?
No. The bill removes the provision that allowed the chief justice of the Supreme Court to appoint an applicant if the governor failed to fill the vacancy within 30 days.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.

Procedural history

10 actions
  1. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ filed
  2. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ strike enacting clause
  3. Feb 2, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0424
  4. Feb 2, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0424
  5. Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  6. Jan 29, 2026House
    House/ received bill from Legislative Research
Show 4 earlier actions
  1. Jan 29, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0424
  2. Jan 29, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0424
  3. Jan 29, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  4. Jan 29, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill Numbered but not Distributed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Jason KyleHouse · District 8RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

cross reference100% confidence

Constitutional Contingency

The entire operational effect of this statutory bill is legally conditioned on the passage of H.J.R. 5 and subsequent voter approval.

H.J.R. 5

Connected Entities

Business and Chancery Court Nominating Commission, Administrative Office of the Courts, Appellate Court Nominating Commission and 3 more
OrganizationBusiness and Chancery Court Nominating Commission“Certifies lists of qualified applicants to the governor”Map →
OrganizationAdministrative Office of the Courts“Informs the governor when a judge is removed, resigns, or retires”Map →
OrganizationAppellate Court Nominating Commission“Certifies lists of qualified applicants to the governor”Map →
OrganizationState Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice“Enacts rules establishing procedures for commission meetings”Map →
OrganizationSupreme Court“Head includes the chief justice whose appointment authority is removed”Map →
PersonJason B. Kyle“Chief Sponsor of the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
  • Controversy65
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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