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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Amends Court Rules Governing Ineffective Assistance Claims and Death Penalty Sentence Stays
Last action · March 17, 2026: House/ to Lieutenant GovernorSponsors: Candice Pierucci and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Utah has enacted a joint resolution amending court rules to prohibit appellate for ineffective assistance claims in capital cases with a death sentence, while modifying the conditions and triggers for staying execution sentences during post-conviction proceedings.
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.
defendants in capital felony cases
attorneys representing criminal defendants
Defense counsel must navigate new procedural boundaries regarding ineffective assistance claims and stay applications in death penalty cases.
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
Does this resolution affect non-capital criminal cases?
When must a court issue a temporary stay of a death sentence?
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
47 actions- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ to Lieutenant Governor
- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ to Lieutenant Governor
- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 12, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 12, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
Show 41 earlier actions
- Mar 10, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
- Mar 10, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Mar 2, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Mar 2, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 28, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HJR028S01
- Feb 28, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HJR028S01
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ substituted
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ uncircled
- Feb 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HJR028S01
- Feb 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HJR028S01
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ circled
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 23, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 20, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Feb 20, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HJR028
- Feb 20, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HJR028
- Feb 19, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 19, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HJR028
- Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HJR028
- Feb 19, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Feb 19, 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.
Exclusion of Capital Cases from Rule 23B Remands
The resolution formally carves out capital felony cases with a death sentence from the general mechanism allowing appellate remand for ineffective assistance of counsel findings.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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