# Utah S.B. 233: Judicial Performance Evaluation Amendments Utah S.B. 233, Judicial Performance Evaluation Amendments, is a 2026 General Session Senate bill sponsored by Brady Brammer (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-23 (Governor Signed) (as of 2026-10-14). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB233-2026GS - As of: 2026-10-14 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah S.B. 233 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Judicial Performance Evaluation Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-02 - Last action: 2026-03-23, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Brady Brammer (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Government Records, Judicial Operations, Government Operations (State Issues), Judges - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 7 (109 yes, 34 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Timing standards for Utah appeals judges: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, the commission must set certification standards for how quickly appellate judges issue opinions. The standards apply only to matters submitted on or after that date. For Utah Supreme Court justices, no more than 25% of opinions may take over 150 days after submission. No more… - Broader judge surveys with response limits: mixed, low. When practical, surveys must include case parties and reach them within 90 days after closure, not counting appeal time. Jurors must receive surveys within 30 days after the verdict; attorneys and court staff may be surveyed throughout the survey period. Surveys must cover legal skill, fairness, co… - Judge reviews limit evidence, add safeguards: mixed, low. The commission may evaluate judges using only information listed in state law. Reviews must emphasize performance since the last retention election, or the applicable first-election period for judges without one. Judges who fail one or more certification standards must get time to speak when the co… - Prosecutor privacy limits public investigation records: mixed, low. Prosecutor Conduct Commission investigation records are protected from public disclosure to the extent they contain a prosecutor’s personal identifying information. This includes covered complaints and commission findings. This protection does not cover other parts of those records. - Public judge votes, protected member records: mixed, low. Commission members must disclose conflicts before discussing and voting on a judge. Appearing before that judge as an attorney or witness alone does not bar voting, unless the member is a party in a pending case. Votes on whether judges meet performance standards must occur in public meetings. Disc… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Brady Brammer (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Karianne Lisonbee (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-04 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 51 | 18 | | | 2026-02-26 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 8 | 2 | | | 2026-02-24 | Senate | Senate/ floor amendment | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-24 | Senate | Senate/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 18 | 7 | | | 2026-02-23 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd reading | pass | 20 | 5 | | | 2026-02-09 | Senate | Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation | pass | 6 | 0 | | | 2026-02-09 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 6 | 2 | | ## Actions (37) - 2026-03-23: Governor Signed - 2026-03-13: Senate/ to Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2026-03-06: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-03-06: Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling - 2026-03-04: Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-04: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-03-03: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-03-03: House/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar (House) - 2026-02-26: House/ return to Rules due to fiscal impact (House) - 2026-02-26: House/ committee report favorable (House) - 2026-02-26: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-25: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-02-24: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-02-24: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ passed 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ floor amendment (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ passed 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-09: Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation - 2026-02-06: Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (Senate) - 2026-02-04: Senate Comm - Not Considered - 2026-02-03: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-02-02: Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research (Senate) - 2026-02-02: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-11: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0233.pdf) - Amended 2/24/2026 11:02:772, 2026-02-24: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_SB0233S01_2026-02-24_11-14-29.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-02-09: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0233S01.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-02-02: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0233.pdf) ## Related bills - H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments (signed) - H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments (signed) - H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments (signed) - H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments (signed) - H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments (signed) - H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0233.pdf) - [Amended 2/24/2026 11:02:772 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_SB0233S01_2026-02-24_11-14-29.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0233S01.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0233.pdf) ## Related - [H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB136-2026GS) - [H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB101-2026GS) - [H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB134-2026GS) - [H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB178-2026GS) - [H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB94-2026GS) - [H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB220-2026GS) - [Utah bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah/bills) - [Utah state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB233-2026GS (as of 2026-10-14).