"Selection of judges shall be based solely upon consideration of fitness for office without regard to any partisan political consideration."
about
Judicial nominating commissions are committees of lawyers and non-lawyers for each judicial district, including the appellate courts. Each commission consists of seven commissioners appointed by the Governor to serve a single four-year term. Each commissioner must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Utah, and a resident of the judicial district it is representing. Commissioners may not be a member of the Legislature and no more than four commissioners may be from the same political party. The Governor must appoint two commissioners from a list of nominees provided by the Utah State Bar. However, the Governor may not appoint more than four persons who are members of the Utah State Bar.

Nomination Steps
The Utah Constitution establishes merit selection as the exclusive method of choosing a state court judge. There are four steps in Utah's merit selection plan:
- Nomination - made by a judicial nomination commission
- Appointment by the Governor
- Confirmation by the state senate &
- Retention election
For more information regarding retention elections please visit the Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.
Process & Review
Commission members review the applications for vacant judicial positions and select candidates to interview. After interviews have been conducted, the Commission refers five names (for district and juvenile court judges) or seven names (for appellate court judges) to the Governor. The Governor appoints one of the nominees who must then be confirmed by a majority of the Utah State Senate. Judicial Nominating Commissions are governed by the Utah Constitution, law, and administrative rules:
- Utah Constitution Article VII, Section 8.
- Utah Code, Title 78A, Chapter 10, Judicial Selection Act.
- Utah Administrative Code, Title R356, Judicial Nominating Commissions (§§ 356-101-1 - 356-101-12).

MEET THE commissions
Appellate
Michelle Quist
Ann Marie Taliaferro
Nic Caine
Scott Petersen, Chair
Delaina Tonks
Elaine Vickers
Shawn Newell
First Judicial District
Brandon Baxter
Shannon Demler
Jonathan Nash
Janette White, Chair
Joan Liquin
Nancy Kennedy
Ken Hull
Second Judicial District
Phil Ferguson
Pam Vickrey, Chair
Ryan Bushell
Erin Hill
Adrienne Andrews
Neka Roundy
SuAnn Jenkins Harris
Third Judicial District
Lauren Barros
Kim Carson
Susan Johnsen
Lesley Manley
Jesse Nix
Matt Osborne, Chair
Sulieti Taufa
Fourth Judicial District
Sandra Dredge
Ron Wilkinson, Chair
Josh Baron
Steve Killpack
Linda Hanks
Ann Zimmerman
Debbie Hong
JoAnn Huber
Fifth Judicial District
Cindy Bulloch
Marilee Eyre
Nadine Hansen
Roland Hunter
Ryan Stout
David Westwood
Katie Woods
Sixth Judicial District
Jeff Mosdell, Chair
Judy Busk
Judy Habbeshaw
Casey Jewkes
Aaron Peterson
Jared Buhanan
Douglas Neeley
Seventh Judicial District
Joane Pappas White
Craig Halls
Christina Ross Sloan
Happy Morgan
Mark Holyoak, Chair
Rebecca Benally
James Nelson
Eighth Judicial District
Michael Harrington
Erin Rawlings
Carolyn Perkins
Irene Hansen S
Sonja Norton