By McKenzie Romero | Editor
Winning all but two votes from the Utah Senate, a lawyer and a district court judge with judicial philosophies centered around the original intent of the U.S. and Utah constitutions were ushered into their seats on the state’s expanded Supreme Court.
With the additions, what was once a female-majority bench of five justices is now a seven-justice court of mostly men — with six members nominated by Gov. Spencer Cox. The appointments close an era of change for the state’s highest court, which has been a target of lawmakers frustrated by recent high-profile rulings.
In today’s Dispatch we take you to the Utah Capitol for the vote approving the state’s two newest high court justices, a call to step up for Utahns at risk of suicide, and new legislation in the works that would increase regulations for Flock cameras.
“I don’t view myself as a check on the Legislature or the executive branch. I view myself as an independent branch of government, and the constitution itself is the check on all three of us.” — 5th District Judge Matthew Bell, speaking to lawmakers in confirmation hearings before their vote approving him for the Utah Supreme Court.
Matthew Bell talks with Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, before being confirmed by the Senate as a Utah Supreme Court Justice at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Katie McKellar
The two newest Utah Supreme Court justices were approved with no debate and little opposition from Democrats. Matthew Bell has spent nine years as a 5th District Court judge in southern Utah, in a district that includes Washington, Iron and Beaver counties. Michael Menssen is an attorney who specializes in complex commercial and labor law.
While grilling Bell and Menssen during their confirmation hearings, lawmakers asked them varying questions that related to the Utah Supreme Court’s role when it came to “checking” the other branches of government, as well as how they would treat preceding rulings that they disagree with. Both said their decision-making would always hinge on the constitution.
Matt and Lindsay Albrecht are pictured during a news conference on suicide prevention at the Utah Capitol on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (Courtesy of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services)
By Annie Knox
Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joined suicide prevention advocates and other state officials in an event reminding Utahns to keep a close eye on loved ones and emphasizing the 988 hotline is available for anyone who needs to talk.
Lindsay and Matt Albrecht fought emotion at the Capitol as they spoke about her brother, Quinn, who took his own life in 2024. A fixture in Utah’s rodeo community, he was a doting father and husband and a talented roper, she said. In hindsight, they see times they believe he was reaching out for help, and now urge others to look for the signs.
A Salt Lake City Police surveillance camera cart is stationed at Taufer Park on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Alixel Cabrera
As Flock cameras’ makers aim to surf a wave of controversy, Utah lawmakers are preparing a bill proposal to strengthen privacy guardrails on automated license plate readers months ahead of the legislative session.
The question isn’t whether the state should allow the cameras on its roads, said Sen. Calvin Musselman, chair of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee. The bill is expected to implement additional regulations for different types of technologies used by law enforcement, including license plate cameras.
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