Nominees announced for two Utah Court of Appeals vacancies
September 15, 2026/Uncategorized
SALT LAKE CITY (Sept. 15, 2026) — The Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for two vacancies on the Utah Court of Appeals. These positions were created by the Legislature during the 2026 legislative session.
List of Nominees
The nominees are: Christopher Ballard, general counsel and chief of staff, Utah County Attorney’s Office; Christopher Bates, shareholder, Kirton McConkie; Matthew Bates, judge, Third District Court; William Hains, deputy division director of criminal appeals, Utah Attorney General’s office; Nathan Jack, appellate assistant United States attorney, United States Attorney’s Office; Christine Johnson, judge, Fourth District Court; Freyja Johnson, partner and appellate attorney, The Appellate Group; Alexandra Mareschal, head of the Family Defense Appeals Section, Indigent Appellate Defense Division; Briggs Matheson, assistant United States attorney, United States Attorney’s Office; Daniel O’Bannon, general counsel, Office of Governor Spencer J. Cox; Stanford Purser, solicitor general, Office of the Attorney General; and Samantha Slark, senior city attorney, Salt Lake City Corporation.
Public Comment and Appointment Process
Written comments can be submitted to the Department of Criminal Justice at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Department of Criminal Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Sept. 28, 2026. Gov. Spencer J. Cox will have 30 days to make the appointments after the list of nominees is certified. Gov. Cox’s appointees are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.
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