Overview
- Gov. Spencer Cox announced the nominations and said both appointees must be confirmed by the Utah State Senate before joining the court.
- The picks are intended to fill the seats vacated by Justice Diana Hagen and Chief Justice Matthew Durrant, who is set to step down next week.
- Matthew Bell is a 5th Judicial District judge who previously served as a sworn peace officer, a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, and an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Utah.
- Michael Menssen is a Mayer Brown partner in Salt Lake City who focuses on commercial litigation, labor and employment law, and appeals.
- The nominations follow a legislative expansion of the court to seven justices and two June confirmations; with these picks Cox has now named five of the seven seats and says he will take six to eight weeks to choose a new chief justice while Associate Chief Justice Jill Pohlman continues in her role.