Gov. Cox opposes electing judges after series of rulings prompts anger from lawmakers

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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he does not support electing judges in the state but is open to other judicial reforms in the wake of a series of rulings that have prompted anger from Republican lawmakers.

The governor was asked about proposed reforms — including those from some lawmakers who floated the idea of electing judges — during his monthly PBS Utah news conference at the Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday. While he acknowledged he has disagreed with the courts on several high-profile rulings, he made clear that he is against implementing judicial elections, which would likely require a constitutional amendment.

"The last thing we need are more divisive elections, especially over a branch of government that is supposed to be independent," he said. "We're always looking at ways that we can reform government and make government better, and I'm certainly open to those discussions and those conversations. ... I've certainly had some disagreements, but it's also part of the system, which is great. We don't always get our way, and we have three branches of government for a reason, and those branches of government are supposed to be held in tension at times."

That tension has been on full display this summer following rulings by the state Supreme Court finding the Legislature overstepped in changing a 2018 ballot initiative on redistricting and allowing the temporary pause on the state's near-total abortion ban to remain in place. Just last week, a 3rd District Court judge voided proposed constitutional Amendment D, partly because she said the phrasing was misleading. The Legislature has appealed that decision and the Utah Supreme Court will hear arguments next Wednesday.

Following a debate with Democratic challenger Brian King last week, Cox said, "I would have done things differently" if he had written the ballot question. When asked Thursday if he thought the language was misleading, the governor said, "That's up to the judiciary to decide." But Cox called the District Court opinion "compelling."

Cox has been supportive of the proposed constitutional amendment — which would give the Legislature the right to overturn citizen-led ballot initiatives — and said, "I do hope that eventually, the people of Utah will get a chance to weigh in and decide, one way or another, how this is going to go."

"I think the lawsuits (challenging Amendment D) would have come regardless," Cox said when asked by KSL.com if ongoing litigation and uncertainty could have been avoided had legislative leaders crafted a clearer ballot question. "But certainly that was one of the reasons that the judge decided that Amendment D should not be on the ballot — or at least should not be counted if it is on the ballot — and so I think the answer to that is, probably, yes."

The governor said he did not consult with House Speaker Mike Schultz or Senate President Stuart Adams while they crafted the language of the ballot question, and said he saw the text when it was released publicly.

Cox 'deeply disturbed' by assassination attempt

Cox is gearing up for the final days of his reelection campaign while also working to shore up support for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump. Cox used his last such news conference, in July, to issue an endorsement of the former president after an attempt on Trump's life during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He later attended a fundraiser for Trump during the former president's brief visit to Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Thursday's news conference came just days after a second attempted assassination of the former president, when an alleged would-be-assassin was spotted with a rifle in the bushes at Trump's golf course.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at his monthly news conference held at the Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Photo: Isaac Hale, Deseret News)

Cox weighed in on the specter of political violence as the Nov. 5 election approaches, saying he is "deeply disturbed and concerned about our country right now" and hopes political leaders will do more to turn down the temperature. He praised Democratic President Joe Biden for speaking with Trump following the assassination attempt.

When Cox endorsed Trump, he said he hoped he could help the brash former president push for unity. Asked if he thinks Trump has made any steps toward running a different kind of campaign or if he regrets the pivot, Cox said he stands by his commitment to "help our country be better."

He wouldn't speak on the details but said he had a brief conversation with Trump about that during Trump's visit on Saturday.

"I also don't believe that I'm important enough that President Trump is going to change ... because of me," Cox said. "Everybody can judge for themselves what's happening and what he's doing. ... I'm going to do everything I can to help him and others to try to bring our country together."

Cox orders release of conflict-of-interest records

The Utah Investigative Journalism Project reported last week that state officials had denied requests to turn over copies of conflict-of-interest forms for members of the governor's cabinet. When asked about the denial, Cox said he only learned of it through the reporting and said he asked that those records be made public Wednesday.

"I was made aware that that happened when I saw the article," he said. "I immediately called our people who do that and asked why those weren't released, and I was told that that's just the way it's always been, that that was a decision that was made before my tenure as governor."

"We changed the policy, and I believe those were released yesterday," he said.