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First Substitute S.B. 212

This document includes Senate Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 12:34 PM by rday. -->

Senator D. Chris Buttars proposes the following substitute bill:


             1     
JUDICIAL EVALUATION AMENDMENTS

             2     
2011 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: D. Chris Buttars

             5     
House Sponsor: Curtis Oda

             6     

             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill makes amendments to the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.
             10      Highlighted Provisions:
             11          This bill:
             12          .    allows the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission to vote in a closed meeting
             13      on whether or not to recommend that the voters retain a judge;
             14          .    requires that any record of an individual commissioner's vote be a protected record
             15      under Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act;
             16          .    removes litigants from the judicial performance evaluation survey;
             17          .    reduces the number of categories to be included in the performance evaluation
             18      survey;
             19          .    allows survey respondents to supplement responses to survey questions with written
             20      comments;
             21          .    establishes a clear minimum performance standard;
             22          .    establishes that the judicial performance evaluation survey is to be reported in three
             23      categories: legal ability, judicial temperament and integrity, and administrative
             24      abilities;
             25          .    allows only a judge who is the subject of an unfavorable retention recommendation



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             26
     to meet with the commission about its recommendation;
             27          .    allows the judicial performance evaluation commission to only report public
             28      discipline that a judge has received; and
             29          .    makes technical corrections.
             30      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             31          None
             32      Other Special Clauses:
             33          This bill provides an effective date.
             34      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             35      AMENDS:
             36          63G-2-305, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapters 6, 113, and 247
             37          78A-12-203, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 98
             38          78A-12-204, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 98
             39          78A-12-205, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 98
             40          78A-12-206, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 98
             41     

             42      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             43          Section 1. Section 63G-2-305 is amended to read:
             44           63G-2-305. Protected records.
             45          The following records are protected if properly classified by a governmental entity:
             46          (1) trade secrets as defined in Section 13-24-2 if the person submitting the trade secret
             47      has provided the governmental entity with the information specified in Section 63G-2-309 ;
             48          (2) commercial information or nonindividual financial information obtained from a
             49      person if:
             50          (a) disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in unfair
             51      competitive injury to the person submitting the information or would impair the ability of the
             52      governmental entity to obtain necessary information in the future;
             53          (b) the person submitting the information has a greater interest in prohibiting access
             54      than the public in obtaining access; and
             55          (c) the person submitting the information has provided the governmental entity with
             56      the information specified in Section 63G-2-309 ;



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         (3) commercial or financial information acquired or prepared by a governmental entity
             58      to the extent that disclosure would lead to financial speculations in currencies, securities, or
             59      commodities that will interfere with a planned transaction by the governmental entity or cause
             60      substantial financial injury to the governmental entity or state economy;
             61          (4) records the disclosure of which could cause commercial injury to, or confer a
             62      competitive advantage upon a potential or actual competitor of, a commercial project entity as
             63      defined in Subsection 11-13-103 (4);
             64          (5) test questions and answers to be used in future license, certification, registration,
             65      employment, or academic examinations;
             66          (6) records the disclosure of which would impair governmental procurement
             67      proceedings or give an unfair advantage to any person proposing to enter into a contract or
             68      agreement with a governmental entity, except, subject to Subsections (1) and (2), that this
             69      Subsection (6) does not restrict the right of a person to have access to, once the contract or
             70      grant has been awarded, a bid, proposal, or application submitted to or by a governmental
             71      entity in response to:
             72          (a) a request for bids;
             73          (b) a request for proposals;
             74          (c) a grant; or
             75          (d) other similar document;
             76          (7) records that would identify real property or the appraisal or estimated value of real
             77      or personal property, including intellectual property, under consideration for public acquisition
             78      before any rights to the property are acquired unless:
             79          (a) public interest in obtaining access to the information outweighs the governmental
             80      entity's need to acquire the property on the best terms possible;
             81          (b) the information has already been disclosed to persons not employed by or under a
             82      duty of confidentiality to the entity;
             83          (c) in the case of records that would identify property, potential sellers of the described
             84      property have already learned of the governmental entity's plans to acquire the property;
             85          (d) in the case of records that would identify the appraisal or estimated value of
             86      property, the potential sellers have already learned of the governmental entity's estimated value
             87      of the property; or



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         (e) the property under consideration for public acquisition is a single family residence
             89      and the governmental entity seeking to acquire the property has initiated negotiations to acquire
             90      the property as required under Section 78B-6-505 ;
             91          (8) records prepared in contemplation of sale, exchange, lease, rental, or other
             92      compensated transaction of real or personal property including intellectual property, which, if
             93      disclosed prior to completion of the transaction, would reveal the appraisal or estimated value
             94      of the subject property, unless:
             95          (a) the public interest in access outweighs the interests in restricting access, including
             96      the governmental entity's interest in maximizing the financial benefit of the transaction; or
             97          (b) when prepared by or on behalf of a governmental entity, appraisals or estimates of
             98      the value of the subject property have already been disclosed to persons not employed by or
             99      under a duty of confidentiality to the entity;
             100          (9) records created or maintained for civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement
             101      purposes or audit purposes, or for discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes, if
             102      release of the records:
             103          (a) reasonably could be expected to interfere with investigations undertaken for
             104      enforcement, discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes;
             105          (b) reasonably could be expected to interfere with audits, disciplinary, or enforcement
             106      proceedings;
             107          (c) would create a danger of depriving a person of a right to a fair trial or impartial
             108      hearing;
             109          (d) reasonably could be expected to disclose the identity of a source who is not
             110      generally known outside of government and, in the case of a record compiled in the course of
             111      an investigation, disclose information furnished by a source not generally known outside of
             112      government if disclosure would compromise the source; or
             113          (e) reasonably could be expected to disclose investigative or audit techniques,
             114      procedures, policies, or orders not generally known outside of government if disclosure would
             115      interfere with enforcement or audit efforts;
             116          (10) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the life or safety of an
             117      individual;
             118          (11) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the security of governmental



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     property, governmental programs, or governmental recordkeeping systems from damage, theft,
             120      or other appropriation or use contrary to law or public policy;
             121          (12) records that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the security or safety of a correctional
             122      facility, or records relating to incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole, that would interfere
             123      with the control and supervision of an offender's incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole;
             124          (13) records that, if disclosed, would reveal recommendations made to the Board of
             125      Pardons and Parole by an employee of or contractor for the Department of Corrections, the
             126      Board of Pardons and Parole, or the Department of Human Services that are based on the
             127      employee's or contractor's supervision, diagnosis, or treatment of any person within the board's
             128      jurisdiction;
             129          (14) records and audit workpapers that identify audit, collection, and operational
             130      procedures and methods used by the State Tax Commission, if disclosure would interfere with
             131      audits or collections;
             132          (15) records of a governmental audit agency relating to an ongoing or planned audit
             133      until the final audit is released;
             134          (16) records prepared by or on behalf of a governmental entity solely in anticipation of
             135      litigation that are not available under the rules of discovery;
             136          (17) records disclosing an attorney's work product, including the mental impressions or
             137      legal theories of an attorney or other representative of a governmental entity concerning
             138      litigation;
             139          (18) records of communications between a governmental entity and an attorney
             140      representing, retained, or employed by the governmental entity if the communications would be
             141      privileged as provided in Section 78B-1-137 ;
             142          (19) (a) (i) personal files of a state legislator, including personal correspondence to or
             143      from a member of the Legislature; and
             144          (ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(a)(i), correspondence that gives notice of
             145      legislative action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section; and
             146          (b) (i) an internal communication that is part of the deliberative process in connection
             147      with the preparation of legislation between:
             148          (A) members of a legislative body;
             149          (B) a member of a legislative body and a member of the legislative body's staff; or



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         (C) members of a legislative body's staff; and
             151          (ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(b)(i), a communication that gives notice of
             152      legislative action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section;
             153          (20) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Research and
             154      General Counsel, that, if disclosed, would reveal a particular legislator's contemplated
             155      legislation or contemplated course of action before the legislator has elected to support the
             156      legislation or course of action, or made the legislation or course of action public; and
             157          (b) notwithstanding Subsection (20)(a), the form to request legislation submitted to the
             158      Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel is a public document unless a legislator
             159      asks that the records requesting the legislation be maintained as protected records until such
             160      time as the legislator elects to make the legislation or course of action public;
             161          (21) research requests from legislators to the Office of Legislative Research and
             162      General Counsel or the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and research findings prepared
             163      in response to these requests;
             164          (22) drafts, unless otherwise classified as public;
             165          (23) records concerning a governmental entity's strategy about collective bargaining or
             166      pending litigation;
             167          (24) records of investigations of loss occurrences and analyses of loss occurrences that
             168      may be covered by the Risk Management Fund, the Employers' Reinsurance Fund, the
             169      Uninsured Employers' Fund, or similar divisions in other governmental entities;
             170          (25) records, other than personnel evaluations, that contain a personal recommendation
             171      concerning an individual if disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
             172      personal privacy, or disclosure is not in the public interest;
             173          (26) records that reveal the location of historic, prehistoric, paleontological, or
             174      biological resources that if known would jeopardize the security of those resources or of
             175      valuable historic, scientific, educational, or cultural information;
             176          (27) records of independent state agencies if the disclosure of the records would
             177      conflict with the fiduciary obligations of the agency;
             178          (28) records of an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
             179      Section 53B-1-102 regarding tenure evaluations, appointments, applications for admissions,
             180      retention decisions, and promotions, which could be properly discussed in a meeting closed in



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     accordance with Title 52, Chapter 4, Open and Public Meetings Act, provided that records of
             182      the final decisions about tenure, appointments, retention, promotions, or those students
             183      admitted, may not be classified as protected under this section;
             184          (29) records of the governor's office, including budget recommendations, legislative
             185      proposals, and policy statements, that if disclosed would reveal the governor's contemplated
             186      policies or contemplated courses of action before the governor has implemented or rejected
             187      those policies or courses of action or made them public;
             188          (30) records of the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst relating to budget analysis,
             189      revenue estimates, and fiscal notes of proposed legislation before issuance of the final
             190      recommendations in these areas;
             191          (31) records provided by the United States or by a government entity outside the state
             192      that are given to the governmental entity with a requirement that they be managed as protected
             193      records if the providing entity certifies that the record would not be subject to public disclosure
             194      if retained by it;
             195          (32) transcripts, minutes, or reports of the closed portion of a meeting of a public body
             196      except as provided in Section 52-4-206 ;
             197          (33) records that would reveal the contents of settlement negotiations but not including
             198      final settlements or empirical data to the extent that they are not otherwise exempt from
             199      disclosure;
             200          (34) memoranda prepared by staff and used in the decision-making process by an
             201      administrative law judge, a member of the Board of Pardons and Parole, or a member of any
             202      other body charged by law with performing a quasi-judicial function;
             203          (35) records that would reveal negotiations regarding assistance or incentives offered
             204      by or requested from a governmental entity for the purpose of encouraging a person to expand
             205      or locate a business in Utah, but only if disclosure would result in actual economic harm to the
             206      person or place the governmental entity at a competitive disadvantage, but this section may not
             207      be used to restrict access to a record evidencing a final contract;
             208          (36) materials to which access must be limited for purposes of securing or maintaining
             209      the governmental entity's proprietary protection of intellectual property rights including patents,
             210      copyrights, and trade secrets;
             211          (37) the name of a donor or a prospective donor to a governmental entity, including an



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     institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section 53B-1-102 , and other
             213      information concerning the donation that could reasonably be expected to reveal the identity of
             214      the donor, provided that:
             215          (a) the donor requests anonymity in writing;
             216          (b) any terms, conditions, restrictions, or privileges relating to the donation may not be
             217      classified protected by the governmental entity under this Subsection (37); and
             218          (c) except for an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
             219      Section 53B-1-102 , the governmental unit to which the donation is made is primarily engaged
             220      in educational, charitable, or artistic endeavors, and has no regulatory or legislative authority
             221      over the donor, a member of the donor's immediate family, or any entity owned or controlled
             222      by the donor or the donor's immediate family;
             223          (38) accident reports, except as provided in Sections 41-6a-404 , 41-12a-202 , and
             224      73-18-13 ;
             225          (39) a notification of workers' compensation insurance coverage described in Section
             226      34A-2-205 ;
             227          (40) (a) the following records of an institution within the state system of higher
             228      education defined in Section 53B-1-102 , which have been developed, discovered, disclosed to,
             229      or received by or on behalf of faculty, staff, employees, or students of the institution:
             230          (i) unpublished lecture notes;
             231          (ii) unpublished notes, data, and information:
             232          (A) relating to research; and
             233          (B) of:
             234          (I) the institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section
             235      53B-1-102 ; or
             236          (II) a sponsor of sponsored research;
             237          (iii) unpublished manuscripts;
             238          (iv) creative works in process;
             239          (v) scholarly correspondence; and
             240          (vi) confidential information contained in research proposals;
             241          (b) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to prohibit disclosure of public
             242      information required pursuant to Subsection 53B-16-302 (2)(a) or (b); and



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         (c) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to affect the ownership of a record;
             244          (41) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General
             245      that would reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit prior to the
             246      date that audit is completed and made public; and
             247          (b) notwithstanding Subsection (41)(a), a request for a legislative audit submitted to the
             248      Office of the Legislative Auditor General is a public document unless the legislator asks that
             249      the records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General that would
             250      reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit be maintained as
             251      protected records until the audit is completed and made public;
             252          (42) records that provide detail as to the location of an explosive, including a map or
             253      other document that indicates the location of:
             254          (a) a production facility; or
             255          (b) a magazine;
             256          (43) information:
             257          (a) contained in the statewide database of the Division of Aging and Adult Services
             258      created by Section 62A-3-311.1 ; or
             259          (b) received or maintained in relation to the Identity Theft Reporting Information
             260      System (IRIS) established under Section 67-5-22 ;
             261          (44) information contained in the Management Information System and Licensing
             262      Information System described in Title 62A, Chapter 4a, Child and Family Services;
             263          (45) information regarding National Guard operations or activities in support of the
             264      National Guard's federal mission;
             265          (46) records provided by any pawn or secondhand business to a law enforcement
             266      agency or to the central database in compliance with Title 13, Chapter 32a, Pawnshop and
             267      Secondhand Merchandise Transaction Information Act;
             268          (47) information regarding food security, risk, and vulnerability assessments performed
             269      by the Department of Agriculture and Food;
             270          (48) except to the extent that the record is exempt from this chapter pursuant to Section
             271      63G-2-106 , records related to an emergency plan or program prepared or maintained by the
             272      Division of Homeland Security the disclosure of which would jeopardize:
             273          (a) the safety of the general public; or



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         (b) the security of:
             275          (i) governmental property;
             276          (ii) governmental programs; or
             277          (iii) the property of a private person who provides the Division of Homeland Security
             278      information;
             279          (49) records of the Department of Agriculture and Food relating to the National
             280      Animal Identification System or any other program that provides for the identification, tracing,
             281      or control of livestock diseases, including any program established under Title 4, Chapter 24,
             282      Utah Livestock Brand and Anti-theft Act or Title 4, Chapter 31, Livestock Inspection and
             283      Quarantine;
             284          (50) as provided in Section 26-39-501 :
             285          (a) information or records held by the Department of Health related to a complaint
             286      regarding a child care program or residential child care which the department is unable to
             287      substantiate; and
             288          (b) information or records related to a complaint received by the Department of Health
             289      from an anonymous complainant regarding a child care program or residential child care;
             290          (51) unless otherwise classified as public under Section 63G-2-301 and except as
             291      provided under Section 41-1a-116 , an individual's home address, home telephone number, or
             292      personal mobile phone number, if:
             293          (a) the individual is required to provide the information in order to comply with a law,
             294      ordinance, rule, or order of a government entity; and
             295          (b) the subject of the record has a reasonable expectation that this information will be
             296      kept confidential due to:
             297          (i) the nature of the law, ordinance, rule, or order; and
             298          (ii) the individual complying with the law, ordinance, rule, or order;
             299          (52) the name, home address, work addresses, and telephone numbers of an individual
             300      that is engaged in, or that provides goods or services for, medical or scientific research that is:
             301          (a) conducted within the state system of higher education, as defined in Section
             302      53B-1-102 ; and
             303          (b) conducted using animals;
             304          (53) an initial proposal under Title 63M, Chapter 1, Part 26, Government Procurement



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             305
     Private Proposal Program, to the extent not made public by rules made under that chapter;
             306          (54) in accordance with Section 78A-12-203 , any record of the Judicial Performance
             307      Evaluation Commission concerning an individual commissioner's vote on whether or not to
             308      recommend that the voters retain a judge;
             309          [(54)] (55) information collected and a report prepared by the Judicial Performance
             310      Evaluation Commission concerning a judge, unless Section 20A-7-702 or Title 78A, Chapter
             311      12, Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission Act, requires disclosure of, or makes public,
             312      the information or report;
             313          [(55)] (56) (a) records of the Utah Educational Savings Plan created under Section
             314      53B-8a-103 if the disclosure of the records would conflict with its fiduciary obligations;
             315          (b) proposals submitted to the Utah Educational Savings Plan; and
             316          (c) contracts entered into by the Utah Educational Savings Plan and the related
             317      payments;
             318          [(56)] (57) records contained in the Management Information System created in
             319      Section 62A-4a-1003 ;
             320          [(57)] (58) records provided or received by the Public Lands Policy Coordinating
             321      Office in furtherance of any contract or other agreement made in accordance with Section
             322      63J-4-603 ;
             323          [(58)] (59) information requested by and provided to the Utah State 911 Committee
             324      under Section 53-10-602 ;
             325          [(59)] (60) recorded Children's Justice Center investigative interviews, both video and
             326      audio, the release of which are governed by Section 77-37-4 ; and
             327          [(60)] (61) in accordance with Section 73-10-33 :
             328          (a) a management plan for a water conveyance facility in the possession of the Division
             329      of Water Resources or the Board of Water Resources; or
             330          (b) an outline of an emergency response plan in possession of the state or a county or
             331      municipality.
             332          Section 2. Section 78A-12-203 is amended to read:
             333           78A-12-203. Judicial performance evaluations.
             334          (1) Beginning with the 2012 judicial retention elections, the commission shall prepare
             335      a performance evaluation for:



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         (a) each judge in the third and fifth year of the judge's term if the judge is not a justice
             337      of the Supreme Court; and
             338          (b) each justice of the Supreme Court in the third, seventh, and ninth year of the
             339      justice's term.
             340          (2) Except as provided in Subsection (3), the performance evaluation for a judge under
             341      Subsection (1) shall consider only:
             342          (a) the results of the judge's most recent judicial performance survey that is conducted
             343      by a third party in accordance with Section 78A-12-204 ;
             344          (b) information concerning the judge's compliance with minimum performance
             345      standards established in accordance with Section 78A-12-205 ;
             346          (c) courtroom observation;
             347          (d) the judge's judicial disciplinary record, if any;
             348          (e) public comment solicited by the commission;
             349          (f) information from an earlier judicial performance evaluation concerning the judge;
             350      and
             351          (g) any other factor that the commission:
             352          (i) considers relevant to evaluating the judge's performance for the purpose of a
             353      retention election; and
             354          (ii) establishes by rule.
             355          (3) The commission shall make rules concerning the conduct of courtroom observation
             356      under Subsection (2), which shall include the following:
             357          (a) an indication of who may perform the courtroom observation;
             358          (b) a determination of whether the courtroom observation shall be made in person or
             359      may be made by electronic means; and
             360          (c) a list of principles and standards used to evaluate the behavior observed.
             361          (4) (a) As part of the evaluation conducted under this section, the commission shall
             362      determine whether to recommend that the voters retain the judge.
             363          (b) (i) If a judge meets the minimum performance standards established in accordance
             364      with Section 78A-12-205 there is a rebuttable presumption that the commission will
             365      recommend the voters retain the judge.
             366          (ii) If a judge fails to meet the minimum performance standards established in



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     accordance with Section 78A-12-205 there is a rebuttable presumption that the commission
             368      will recommend the voters not retain the judge.
             369          (c) The commission may elect to make no recommendation on whether the voters
             370      should retain a judge if the commission determines that the information concerning the judge is
             371      insufficient to make a recommendation.
             372          (d) (i) If the commission deviates from a presumption for or against recommending the
             373      voters retain a judge or elects to make no recommendation on whether the voters should retain
             374      a judge, the commission shall provide a detailed explanation of the reason for that deviation or
             375      election in the commission's report under Section 78A-12-206 .
             376          (ii) If the commission makes no recommendation because of a tie vote, the commission
             377      shall note that fact in the commission's report.
             378          (5) (a) Before considering the judicial performance evaluation of any judge, the
             379      commission shall notify the judge of the date and time of any commission meeting during
             380      which the judge's judicial performance evaluation will be considered.
             381          (b) The commission shall allow a judge who is the subject of a judicial performance
             382      evaluation to appear and speak at any commission meeting, except a closed meeting, during
             383      which the judge's judicial performance evaluation is considered.
             384          (c) The commission may meet in a closed meeting to discuss a judge's judicial
             385      performance evaluation by complying with Title 52, Chapter 4, Open and Public Meetings Act.
             386          (d) Any record of an individual commissioner's vote on whether or not to recommend
             387      that the voters retain a judge is a protected record under Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government
             388      Records Access and Management Act.
             389          (e) The commission may only disclose the final commission vote on whether or not to
             390      recommend that the voters retain a judge.
             391          (6) (a) The commission shall compile a midterm report of its judicial performance
             392      evaluation of a judge.
             393          (b) The midterm report of a judicial performance evaluation shall include information
             394      that the commission considers appropriate for purposes of judicial self-improvement.
             395          (c) The report shall be provided to the evaluated judge and the presiding judge of the
             396      district in which the evaluated judge serves. If the evaluated judge is the presiding judge, the
             397      midterm report shall be provided to the chair of the board of judges for the court level on which



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             398
     the evaluated judge serves.
             399          (7) The commission may make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
             400      Administrative Rulemaking Act, as necessary to administer the evaluation required by this
             401      section.
             402          Section 3. Section 78A-12-204 is amended to read:
             403           78A-12-204. Judicial performance survey.
             404          (1) The judicial performance survey required by Section 78A-12-203 concerning a
             405      judge who is subject to a retention election shall be conducted on an ongoing basis during the
             406      judge's term in office by a third party under contract to the commission.
             407          (2) The judicial performance survey shall include as respondents a sample of each of
             408      the following groups as applicable:
             409          (a) attorneys who have appeared before the judge as counsel;
             410          (b) jurors who have served in a case before the judge; and
             411          [(c) litigants whose cases have been considered by the judge; and]
             412          [(d)] (c) court staff who have worked with the judge.
             413          (3) The commission may include an additional classification of respondents if the
             414      commission:
             415          (a) considers a survey of that classification of respondents helpful to voters in
             416      determining whether to vote to retain a judge; and
             417          (b) establishes the additional classification of respondents by rule.
             418          (4) All survey responses are anonymous, including comments included with a survey
             419      response.
             420          (5) If the commission provides any information to a judge or the Judicial Council, the
             421      information shall be provided in such a way as to protect the confidentiality of a survey
             422      respondent.
             423          (6) A survey shall be provided to a potential survey respondent within 30 days of the
             424      day on which the case in which the person appears in the judge's court is closed, exclusive of
             425      any appeal, except for court staff and attorneys, who may be surveyed at any time during the
             426      survey period.
             427          (7) Survey [topics] categories shall include questions concerning a judge's:
             428          (a) legal ability, including the following:



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             429
         (i) demonstration of understanding of the substantive law and any relevant rules of
             430      procedure and evidence;
             431          (ii) attentiveness to factual and legal issues before the court;
             432          (iii) adherence to precedent and ability to clearly explain departures from precedent;
             433      [and]
             434          (iv) grasp of the practical impact on the parties of the judge's rulings, including the
             435      effect of delay and increased litigation expense;
             436          (v) ability to write clear judicial opinions; and
             437          (vi) ability to clearly explain the legal basis for judicial opinions;
             438          [(b) integrity, including the following:]
             439          [(i) avoidance of impropriety or the appearance of impropriety; and]
             440          [(ii) display of fairness and impartiality toward all parties;]
             441          [(c) communication skills, including clearly articulating the basis for written rulings;]
             442          [(d)] (b) judicial temperament and integrity, including the following:
             443          (i) demonstration of courtesy toward attorneys, court staff, and others in the judge's
             444      court;
             445          (ii) maintenance of decorum in the courtroom;
             446          (iii) demonstration of judicial demeanor and personal attributes that promote public
             447      trust and confidence in the judicial system; [and]
             448          (iv) preparedness for oral argument; [and]
             449          (v) avoidance of impropriety or the appearance of impropriety;
             450          (vi) display of fairness and impartiality toward all parties; and
             451          (vii) ability to clearly communicate, including the ability to explain the basis for
             452      written rulings, court procedures, and decisions; and
             453          [(e)] (c) administrative performance, including the following:
             454          (i) management of workload;
             455          (ii) sharing proportionally the workload within the court or district; and
             456          (iii) issuance of opinions and orders without unnecessary delay.
             457          (8) (a) If the commission determines that a certain survey question or [topic] category
             458      of questions is not appropriate for a [category of respondents] respondent group, the
             459      commission may omit that question or [topic] category of questions from the survey provided



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Senate Committee Amendments 2-16-2011 rd/ecm
             460
     to that [category of respondents] respondent group.
             461          [(b) Litigants may be surveyed only about judicial temperament, integrity, and
             462      communication skills.]
             463          [(c) The commission shall, by rule, determine appropriate litigants to be surveyed.]
             464          (9) (a) The survey shall allow respondents to indicate responses in a manner
             465      determined by the commission, which shall be:
             466          [(a)] (i) on a numerical scale from one to five, with one representing inadequate
             467      performance and five representing outstanding performance; or
             468          [(b)] (ii) in the affirmative or negative, with an option to indicate the respondent's
             469      inability to respond in the affirmative or negative.
             470          (b) To supplement the responses to questions on either a numerical scale or in the
             471      affirmative or negative, the commission may allow respondents to provide written comments.
             472          (10) The commission shall compile and make available to each judge that judge's
             473      survey results with each of the judge's judicial performance evaluations.
             474          (11) The commission may make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
             475      Administrative Rulemaking Act, as necessary to administer the judicial performance survey.
             476          Section 4. Section 78A-12-205 is amended to read:
             477           78A-12-205. Minimum performance standards.
             478          (1) The commission shall establish [a] minimum performance [standard] standards
             479      requiring that:
             480          (a) the judge have no more than one [formal disciplinary action taken against the
             481      judge] public reprimand issued by the Judicial Conduct Commission or the Utah Supreme
             482      Court during the judge's current term; and
             483          (b) the judge receive a minimum score on the judicial performance survey as follows:
             484          (i) an average score of [at least a 3.0] no less than S. [ 67% ] 65% .S on [at least 80% of the
             485      questions, excluding litigant respondents, for questions scored on the numerical scale] each
             486      survey category as provided in Subsection 78A-12-204 (7); and
             487          (ii) if the commission includes a question on the survey that does not use the numerical
             488      scale, the commission shall establish the minimum performance standard for all questions[,
             489      excluding any question to litigant respondents,] that do not use the numerical scale to be
             490      substantially equivalent to the standard required under Subsection (1)(b)(i).



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             491
         (2) The commission may establish an additional minimum performance standard if the
             492      commission by at least two-thirds vote:
             493          (a) determines that satisfaction of the standard is necessary to the satisfactory
             494      performance of the judge; and
             495          (b) adopts the standard.
             496          (3) The commission may make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
             497      Administrative Rulemaking Act, to establish a minimum performance standard.
             498          Section 5. Section 78A-12-206 is amended to read:
             499           78A-12-206. Publication of the judicial performance evaluation.
             500          (1) (a) The commission shall compile a retention report of its judicial performance
             501      evaluation of a judge.
             502          (b) The report of a judicial performance evaluation nearest the judge's next scheduled
             503      retention election shall be provided to the judge at least 45 days before the last day on which
             504      the judge may file a declaration of the judge's candidacy in the retention election.
             505          (c) A report prepared in accordance with Subsection (1)(b) and information obtained in
             506      connection with the evaluation [become] becomes a public record under Title 63G, Chapter 2,
             507      Government Records Access and Management Act, on the day following the last day on which
             508      the judge who is the subject of the report may file a declaration of the judge's candidacy in the
             509      judge's scheduled retention election if the judge declares the judge's candidacy for the retention
             510      election.
             511          (d) [A] Information collected and a report that is not public under Subsection (1)(c) is a
             512      protected record under Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management
             513      Act.
             514          (2) [A judge who is the subject of a retention report under this section, within] Within
             515      15 days of receiving a copy of the commission's report under Subsection (1)(b)[, may]:
             516          (a) a judge who is the subject of an unfavorable retention recommendation under this
             517      section may:
             518          [(a)] (i) provide a written response to the commission about the report; and
             519          [(b)] (ii) request an interview with the commission for the purpose of addressing the
             520      report[.]; and
             521          (b) a judge who is the subject of a favorable retention recommendation under this



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             522
     section may provide a written response to the commission about the commission's report.
             523          (3) (a) After receiving a response from a judge in any form allowed by Subsection (2),
             524      the commission may meet and reconsider its decision to recommend the judge not be retained.
             525          (b) If the commission does not change its decision to recommend the judge not be
             526      retained, the judge may provide a written statement, not to exceed 100 words, that shall be
             527      included in the commission's report.
             528          (4) The retention report of a judicial performance evaluation shall include:
             529          (a) the results of the judicial performance survey, in both raw and summary form;
             530          (b) information concerning the judge's compliance with the minimum performance
             531      standards;
             532          (c) information concerning any [formal or informal discipline against] public discipline
             533      that a judge [that] has received that is not subject to restrictions on disclosure under Title 78A,
             534      Chapter 11, Judicial Conduct Commission;
             535          (d) a narrative concerning the judge's performance;
             536          (e) the commission's recommendation concerning whether the judge should be
             537      retained, or the statement required of the commission if it declines to make a recommendation;
             538          (f) the number of votes for and against the commission's recommendation; and
             539          (g) any other information the commission considers appropriate to include in the
             540      report.
             541          (5) (a) The commission may not include in its retention report specific information
             542      concerning an earlier judicial performance evaluation.
             543          (b) The commission may refer to information from an earlier judicial performance
             544      evaluation concerning the judge in the commission's report only if the reference is in general
             545      terms.
             546          (6) The retention report of the commission's judicial performance evaluation shall be
             547      made publicly available on an Internet website.
             548          (7) The commission may make the report of the judicial performance evaluation
             549      immediately preceding the judge's retention election publicly available through other means
             550      within budgetary constraints.
             551          (8) The commission shall provide a summary of the judicial performance evaluation
             552      for each judge to the lieutenant governor for publication in the voter information pamphlet in



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             553
     the manner required by Title 20A, Chapter 7, Issues Submitted to the Voters.
             554          (9) The commission may also provide any information collected during the course of a
             555      judge's judicial performance evaluation immediately preceding the judge's retention election to
             556      the public to the extent that information is not otherwise subject to restrictions on disclosure.
             557          (10) The commission shall provide the Judicial Council with:
             558          (a) the judicial performance survey results for each judge; and
             559          (b) a copy of the retention report of each judicial performance evaluation.
             560          (11) The Judicial Council shall provide information obtained concerning a judge under
             561      Subsection (10) to the subject judge's presiding judge, if any.
             562          Section 6. Effective date.
             563          This bill takes effect on May 10, 2011, except that the amendments to Subsection
             564      78A-12-205 (1)(b)(i) in this bill take effect on January 1, 2013.


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