Nominees announced for two Utah Supreme Court vacancies

SALT LAKE CITY (Aug. 6, 2026) - The Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for two vacancies on the Utah Supreme Court. These vacancies result from the retirement of Justice Diana Hagen, on May 8, 2026 and Chief Justice Matthew Durrant, on Aug. 31, 2026.

The nominees for the vacancies are: Cherise Bacalski, founder and appellate attorney, The Appellate Group, and adjunct professor of writing, J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University; Christopher Ballard, general counsel and chief of staff, Utah County Attorney's Office; Christopher Bates, shareholder, Kirton McConkie; Matthew Bates, judge, Third District Court; Matthew Bell, judge, Fifth District Court; Samuel Chiara, judge, Eighth District Court; Michele Christiansen Forster, judge, Utah Court of Appeals; William Hains, deputy division director, Criminal Appeals, Office of the Attorney General; Michael Menssen, partner, Mayer Brown LLP; Amy Oliver, judge, Utah Court of Appeals; Stanford Purser, solicitor general, Office of the Utah Attorney General; and Ryan Tenney, judge, Utah Court of Appeals.

Written comments can be submitted to the Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission at [email protected] or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Aug. 16, 2026. The Nominating Commission may request further information or conduct an investigation of the nominees after reviewing public comments. After the public comment period, the names will be sent to Gov. Spencer J. Cox, who will have 30 days to make the appointment for each vacancy. Gov. Cox's appointees are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.