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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Legislature Amends Rules of Civil Procedure Regarding Case Transfers, Judge Disqualification, and District Court Panels
Last action · February 13, 2026: Senate/ to Lieutenant GovernorSponsors: Brady Brammer and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Utah amends civil court rules to establish procedures for convening three-judge s, transferring venue and cases to the , consolidating related actions, and disqualifying judges. The resolution sets specific timelines for filing notices of change of judge and outlines coordination with medical malpractice rules.
Litigants and attorneys practicing in Utah civil courts must adhere to updated deadlines and procedures when seeking judge disqualification, venue transfers, or consolidation of multi-district actions.
- Under Utah Constitution Article VIII, Section 4, the Legislature may amend rules of procedure and evidence adopted by the Utah Supreme Court upon a two-thirds vote of all members of both houses. context
- Joint resolutions amending court rules establish binding procedural requirements for state courts once enacted according to constitutional provisions. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Utah civil litigants
Civil litigants are subject to revised timelines and procedures for requesting judge disqualifications, venue transfers, and case consolidations.
Utah district court judges
District court judges must follow updated protocols regarding panel assignments, recusals, and transfer procedures.
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
Who has the authority to convene a three-judge district court panel under the updated rules?
What is the deadline for a defendant to file a notice of a change of judge as a matter of right?
Can parties change an assigned judge by agreement without stating a reason?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
48 actions- Feb 13, 2026SenateSenate/ to Lieutenant Governor
- Feb 13, 2026SenateSenate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Feb 13, 2026SenateSenate/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Feb 13, 2026Senate SecretaryEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Feb 13, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
- Feb 13, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from Senate for Enrolling
Show 42 earlier actions
- Feb 13, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
- Feb 13, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 13, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 13, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
- Feb 13, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 13, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 12, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 12, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 12, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 12, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 12, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 12, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 12, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 12, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 12, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SJR005S02
- Feb 12, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SJR005S02
- Feb 11, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 11, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 10, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 10, 2026SenateSenate/ substituted
- Feb 10, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SJR005S02
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SJR005S02
- Feb 6, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 6, 2026SenateSenate/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Feb 4, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 4, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Feb 2, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SJR005S01
- Feb 2, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SJR005S01
- Jan 30, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Not Considered
- Jan 30, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SJR005S01
- Jan 30, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SJR005S01
- Jan 20, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Jan 20, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 16, 2026SenateSenate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 16, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SJR005
- Jan 16, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SJR005
- Jan 13, 2026SenateSenate/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SJR005
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SJR005
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 12, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Coordination with Medical Malpractice Rules
The resolution includes specific revisor instructions to coordinate Rule 42 amendments with S.J.R. 6 regarding medical malpractice evidentiary rules.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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