All 35 judges who stood for retention election Tuesday will be returning to the bench with the support of at least 70 percent of the electorate.
Judges by law run unopposed and without campaigning in Utah, leaving most voters with a "yes" or "no" vote option based on relatively little information. All 35 judges met the performance evaluation criteria of the Utah Judicial Council and were certified to stand for election.Six of the seven Utah Court of Appeals judges whose names were on ballots statewide were re-elected by comfortable margins, though each registered in excess of 70,000 "no" votes. Returning to the court are Russell W. Bench, Judith M. Billings, Regnal W. Garff Jr., Pamela T. Greenwood, Norman H. Jackson and Gregory K. Orme.
The six were appointed by Gov. Norm Bangerter in 1987, becoming the first judges to serve on the newly created court. Presiding Judge Richard C. Davidson resigned from the appeals court before the election and will be replaced by gubernatorial appointment.
Voters in specific judicial districts retained 16 district court judges, two juvenile court judges and 11 circuit court judges. The district court candidates generally garnered more "yes" votes than judges on the other benches.
First District Judge Gordon J. Low, whose jurisdiction covers Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties, received the highest retention vote: 86 percent.
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(CHART)
Judicial races
Court of Appeals
1,603 of 1,629 voting districts
Russell W. Bench
Yes 255,433 77% No 76,751 23%
Judith M. Billings
Yes 256,360 77% No 74,957 23%
Regnal W. Garff
Yes 250,617 76% No 77,375 24%
Pamela R.T. Greenwood
Yes 257,733 78% No 72,126 22%
Norman H. Jackson
Yes 252,161 77% No 75,319 23%
Gregory K. Orme
Yes 251,473 77% No 76,331 23%
1st District Court
Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties
100 of 100 voting districts
Gordon J. Low
Yes 20,196 86% No 3,303 14%
2nd District Court
Davis, Weber and Morgan counties
323 of 323 voting districts
Ronald O. Hyde
Yes 56,511 76% No 18,230 24%
3rd District Court
Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties
741 of 767 voting districts
Pat B. Brian
Yes 112,819 75% No 37,548 25%
Richard H. Moffat
Yes 111,941 74% No 38,343 26%
Michael R. Murphy
Yes 112,652 75% No 36,677 25%
Frank G. Noel
Yes 111,024 75% No 37,978 25%
Kenneth Rigtrup
Yes 109,325 73% No 40,313 27%
Leonard H. Russon
Yes 111,576 75% No 37,707 25%
James S. Sawaya
Yes 115,783 76% No 37,043 24%
Homer F. Wilkinson
Yes 111,407 74% No 39,662 26%
David S. Young
Yes 114,886 76% No 36,764 24%
4th District Court
Juab, Miller, Utah and Wasatch counties
192 of 192 voting districts
Cullen Y. Christensen
Yes 38,869 82% No 8,573 18%
Boyd L. Park
Yes 38,792 82% No 8,475 18%
5th District Court
Beaver, Iron and Washington counties
70 of 70 voting districts
J. Philip Eves
Yes 11,417 83% No 2,377 17%
7th District Court
Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties
61 of 61 voting districts
Boyd Bunnell
Yes 8,724 82% No 1,879 18%
8th District Court
Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties
35 of 35 voting districts
Dennis L. Draney
Yes 5,566 79% No 1,477 21%
2nd Circuit Court
Davis, Weber and Morgan counties
323 of 323 voting districts
Parley R. Baldwin
Yes 57,820 77% No 17,412 23%
3rd Circuit Court
Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties
741 of 767 voting districts
Michael K. Burton
Yes 114,633 76% No 35,798 24%
Dennis M. Fuchs
Yes 109,920 74% No 39,409 26%
Michael L. Hutchings
Yes 112,853 75% No 36,634 25%
Robin W. Reese
Yes 113,517 76% No 36,261 24%
William A. Thorne Jr
Yes 113,048 75% No 37,092 25%
4th Circuit Court
Juab, Miller, Utah and Wasatch counties
192 of 192 voting districts
John Backlund
Yes 38,403 81% No 8,804 19%
Lynn W. Davis
Yes 38,926 82% No 8,467 18%
5th Circuit Court
Beaver, Iron and Washington counties
70 of 70 voting districts
Robert T. Braithwaite
Yes 11,099 83% No 2,338 17%
6th Circuit Court
Garfield, Kane, Piute, Sanpete and Sevier and Wayne counties
81 of 81 voting districts
David L. Mower
Yes 8,406 84% No 1,633 16%
7th Circuit Court
Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties
61 of 61 voting districts
Bruce K. Halliday
Yes 7,569 78% No 2,117 22%
3rd Juvenile Court
Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties
741 of 767 voting districts
Olof A. Johansson
Yes 114,987 76% No 35,654 24%
6th Juvenile Court
Garfield, Kane, Piute, Sanpete and Sevier and Wayne counties
81 of 81 voting districts
Louis G. Tervort
Yes 7,960 79% No 2,157 21%