Committee approves broader court funding package including additions to appellate and district benches; Supreme Court expansion draws opposition
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Summary
Senate Bill 134 would add judges and staff across Utah’s judiciary — two Supreme Court justices, two Court of Appeals justices and three district judges among other staff — and carries an ongoing fiscal estimate in the millions. The committee approved the package (7–2) after extensive public comment urging that resources instead go to lower-court staffing.
Senator Wilson presented the second substitute to Senate Bill 134, a comprehensive judiciary package that would add judges and staff across Utah’s court system. The sponsor cited population growth, rising appellate filings and complexity as reasons to expand capacity: the current proposal included two additions to the Utah Supreme Court, two additions to the Court of Appeals, three new district judges (targeted to specific districts), judicial assistants, law clerks and related staff. Sponsor and supporters said the changes would reduce decision delays and provide system‑wide relief.
Several legal groups and practitioners — including the Utah State Bar, former judges, law professors and court administrators — urged the committee not to add Supreme Court justices. The bar and multiple witnesses recommended funding more law clerks, staff and additional district-court judges where caseloads are concentrated, arguing those investments would better address backlogs. Chief Justice Durant was quoted in testimony as recommending staff and lower-court judges rather than expanding the Supreme Court bench.
Public commenters voiced concern that increasing the Supreme Court could be perceived as court packing and would erode public trust; others said the package reflects a needed investment in a judiciary stretched by population growth. The committee voted to pass the second substitute to the floor with a favorable recommendation (recorded 7–2).