- Gov. Spencer Cox is unsure about the timeline for an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen.
- Cox emphasizes the seriousness of allegations and the importance of judicial accountability.
- The governor also said he doesn't think GOP politicians are politicizing the courts with calls for voting against judges in retention elections.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he doesn't know the timeline for when the state might begin an investigation into Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen over allegations she had a relationship with an attorney arguing cases before the court.
Cox joined with top Republicans in the Utah Legislature in announcing an investigation into the allegations earlier this month after a complaint to the Judicial Conduct Commission was obtained by KSL through a public records request.
But the governor had little details about what will happen next and appeared to hedge about whether an investigation will take place.
"I don't know what that looks like yet, but what I can say is, I think, if there is an investigation, it should be an independent investigation. I think that's going to be really important," Cox told reporters when asked about the investigation during his monthly PBS Utah news conference Thursday. "What does matter is that if there are investigations — and these are very serious allegations — that people can trust any such investigation."
The complaint that Hagen had a relationship with an attorney representing the plaintiffs in Utah's high-profile redistricting case was already subject to a preliminary investigation by the Judicial Conduct Commission, which determined there was "insufficient evidence" to back up the allegations.
Both Hagen and the attorney have denied any inappropriate relationship, and Hagen said she recused herself from all cases involving the attorney in May 2025.
The Supreme Court called the release of the documents related to the complaint "inappropriate," saying they "prompted renewed questioning about allegations that were previously investigated and dismissed in accordance with the process established by the Utah Constitution."
But Cox on Thursday said the "allegations are serious," and he still thinks there are several unanswered questions.
"When you sign up to be a judge in this state, you get held to a higher standard, period," the governor said. "Everyone knows this. This is part of the deal. If you want your personal life to always be personal, then don't be a judge."
He said he worries some aren't taking the allegations seriously enough.
"I don't know what's real or what's not real, but I do know that these allegations are serious," he added. "I think, again, that we've got to do everything we can to protect the judiciary and make sure that we're holding the judiciary to a higher standard."
Hagen and Justice Jill Pohlman are both up for retention elections this November to determine if they will stay on the high court, and are facing heat from Republicans in the state who are urging Utahns to vote against them in light of their ruling from 2024 that paved the way for the redrawing of Utah's congressional maps.
Rep. Burgess Owens criticized both justices at an event earlier this month, and Utah Republican Party Chairman Rob Axson told delegates to vote against both at last week's GOP nominating convention.
Cox said such calls are how Utah's constitutional system is supposed to work, and he doesn't see them as eroding the judiciary's independence.
"This idea of judicial independence is important," he said. "But that doesn't mean that the judiciary isn't responsible, that we don't have any checks on the judiciary. We do have checks on the judiciary, and retention elections are one of them. And so yes, if people don't like decisions that are coming out of our Supreme Court — or any court for that matter — the appropriate way to deal with that is to vote against those judges in a retention election."
