Don’t
Overlook the Judges on Your Ballot
When Utah voters receive their ballots,
they will see candidates for a variety of offices. One group of names can be
easy to overlook: judges.
Judicial elections in Utah work
differently from elections for other offices. Rather than running against an
opponent, judges appear on the ballot in retention elections. Voters are asked
whether a judge should be retained in office.
But how do you make that decision if you
have never been in the judge’s courtroom?
Most voters have little opportunity to observe a judge at work or know
firsthand how they perform on the job. So where can you find reliable
information about the judge on your ballot?
Judges.Utah.Gov:
Information for Voters
The Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation
Commission (JPEC) evaluates the performance of Utah judges and provides
information that voters can consider when making retention decisions.
JPEC gathers information from people who
work directly with judges, including attorneys, court staff, interpreters,
social workers and others who interact with judges as part of their work. JPEC
also conducts at least four courtroom observations for each judge.
These sources help inform evaluations of
a judge’s overall performance. JPEC considers qualities that contribute to
effective judging, including legal ability, fairness and impartiality,
administrative skills, and judicial temperament. The focus is on how a judge
performs the responsibilities of the job, not whether someone agrees or
disagrees with a particular ruling.
You Be the Judge
Judicial retention elections can be
unfamiliar, particularly when voters have little personal experience with the
judges on their ballots. JPEC’s evaluations offer one source of information
about judicial performance to help voters better understand the judges they are
being asked to retain.
Voters do not have to be legal experts to
learn about these judges. Judges.Utah.Gov provides independent,
politically neutral information to help voters make informed decisions,
regardless of whether you spend time in a courtroom.
Before filling out your ballot, take time
to review the information at judges.utah.gov.
Learn the facts. Review the
information. You Be the Judge.
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