Robert Gehrke: “Utah Sen. Kirk Cullimore is proposing a sweeping restructuring of the Utah court system, stripping away long-standing guardrails intended to ensure the courts’ independence and partisan neutrality.”
than any other in the state — has also had his own beef with the courts and the way judges handle his firm’s eviction cases.
Currently, only four may be from the same political party, one is chosen from a list of candidates submitted by the Utah State Bar. The Judicial Council — which sets policy for the courts — appoints an eighth, non-voting member. Commissioners must also live in the judicial district where the vacancy occurs.
“On the whole, the system has worked really well, and I read this bill and I just couldn’t figure out … what’s driving it,” Zimmerman told me. All of it is an attempt to put the Legislature’s thumb on the scales of justice by retooling the system so pure partisan ideology becomes a key criterion — rather than experience, legal acumen and reverence for the role of the judiciary.
Cox’s office said the current system “served the state well, but there is always room for improvement.” Let’s be clear, it’s not as if our current court system is stacked with squadrons of liberals. Every judge now wearing a robe has been appointed by a Republican governor and confirmed by a Republican Senate. Cullimore has never once voted against confirming a judicial nominee.
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