Chief justice announces retirement, leaving Cox chance to overhaul Utah Supreme Court
by Emily Ashcraft ksl · KSL.comEstimated read time: 2-3 minutes
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Chief Justice Matthew Durrant will retire from Utah Supreme Court on Aug. 31.
- Durrant, appointed in 2000, is Utah's longest-serving chief justice with 26 years total.
- The high court faces four vacancies, giving Utah's governor an opportunity to overhaul the Supreme Court.
SALT LAKE CITY — Chief Justice Matthew Durrant announced Friday he is retiring from the Utah Supreme Court.
He will officially retire on Aug. 31 after 14 years as chief justice and 26 years since joining the Utah Supreme Court. Durrant is the longest-serving chief justice in Utah's history.
His departure means Utah Gov. Spencer Cox now has four vacancies to fill after already nominating a new justice on the court seven months ago in October.
Durrant said serving Utah and working with other judges and court employees "has been the honor of a lifetime."
"I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to help strengthen the administration of justice in Utah," he said.
He was appointed in January 2000 by Gov. Michael Leavitt. Before his position on the Supreme Court, Durrant served as a 3rd District Court judge beginning in 1997. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1984.
In 2024, Durrant was elected president of the Conference of Chief Justices, a national organization designed to strengthen and support state courts.
Cox called Durrant a "deeply respected jurist, consummate public servant and genuinely extraordinary person."
"For decades, he set aside private life and personal gain, devoting himself fully to the people of Utah and to the faithful administration of justice. His integrity, humility, and devotion to public service have left a lasting mark on our state, and Utah is better because he chose to serve," Cox said in a statement.
Four vacancies
Cox will now have a chance to overhaul the high court. It comes at a time when there has been rising anger from some GOP leaders toward Utah Supreme Court decisions on abortion and redistricting. The governor nominates judges but the Utah Senate confirms them.
The Supreme Court will now have four vacancies after the Utah Legislature voted to increase the number of seats from five to seven earlier this year. Justice Diana Hagen resigned from her seat earlier this month following a complaint to the state's Judicial Conduct Commission alleging she had an improper relationship with an attorney who argued cases before the court.
Justice John Nielsen was confirmed to the Utah Supreme Court in November to fill a spot left by the resignation of Associate Justice John Pearce.
Associate Chief Justice Jill M. Pohlman and Justice Paige Petersen will be the only two remaining members on the high court. Both were appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert.
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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Related topics
Utah LegislatureUtah governmentPolice & CourtsUtahPolitics
Emily Ashcraft
Emily Ashcraft is a reporter for KSL. She covers issues in state courts, health and religion. In her spare time, Emily enjoys crafting, cycling and raising chickens.