Judicial Retention Changes

HB 512 modifies Utah's judicial retention process by requiring the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission to provide judges with their evaluation reports 45 days before retention elections and make those reports publicly available online after the election filing deadline. Judges facing retention elections can respond in writing to unfavorable evaluations within 15 days, and the commission must include a judge's brief written statement (max 100 words) if it doesn't change its evaluation. The bill also mandates a public education campaign to inform voters about the evaluation process and how to access judicial performance reports. This directly affects judges running for retention, the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, and Utah voters who receive the reports in voter pamphlets. The bill appropriates $14,400 for the commission's FY2026 budget to support these changes.