By Katie McKellar | Senior Reporter
Amid a time of ongoing tension between lawmakers and the judiciary, legislative auditors have dropped a slate of four reports all aimed at improving “accountability” within Utah’s court system.
For the most part, judiciary leaders agreed with the audits’ long list of recommendations — but one was controversial. Auditors recommend lawmakers consider changing the makeup of the Judicial Council to add legislative and executive branch membership.
In today’s Dispatch, we dive into the results of those four audits, Utah’s settlement with an auto loan company accused of predatory loans and criticism the state’s response to a major bird flu outbreak at a mink farm.
“We have no argument that the Legislature is authorized by Constitution to establish that membership. We would just want to avoid anything that could have the effect, or even the appearance of infusing partisan politics into the governance of the judiciary.” — State Court Administrator Ron Gordon on a legislative audit’s recommendations to change the makeup of the Judicial Council.
The Utah Supreme Court inside the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City is pictured on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Katie McKellar
Auditors recommended a long slate of changes to improve Utah’s court system, including when it comes to investigating judges and ensuring voters are equipped to hold them accountable.
When looking broadly at how the courts function, auditors said many of the issues share a “common cause: an approach that has traditionally placed greater emphasis on judicial independence than accountability.”
The office of the Utah Attorney General at the Capitol in Salt Lake City is pictured on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Annie Knox
Dozens of Utahns are set to have their debt canceled and get a check in the mail after a national auto loan company agreed to settle claims that it exploited borrowers with low credit scores.
Utah and 39 other states reached the roughly $700 million settlement with the Michigan-based Credit Acceptance Corporation. The states accused the company of quietly piling on extra costs that buyers didn’t know were optional and issuing loans they couldn’t afford.
The first case of avian flu in mink was diagnosed in Utah this summer. (Photo courtesy of Animal Wellness Action)
By Alixel Cabrera
After reports of a bird flu outbreak at a mink farm in Utah emerged, animal welfare advocates are describing the state’s response to it as “dangerously lax.”
Records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show seven cases of avian influenza among captive mink in Salt Lake County collected and confirmed in August — though the data may be incomplete, the agency said on its website.
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