Utah Legislature

Speaking to the Utah State Bar, Justice Petersen reviewed the just-finished 2026 legislative session and defended judicial independence.

Estoy especialmente orgulloso de los habitantes de Utah que son conservadores y religiosos y que están dispuestos a sentarse a conversar y realmente ayudarnos a encontrar puntos en común, dijo Troy Williams, el director ejecutivo saliente de Equality Utah.

"I'm most proud of Utahns who are conservative and religious and who are willing to come to the table and actually help us find common ground," said Troy Williams, the outgoing executive director of Equality Utah.

Utah is at the forefront of a states' rights battle with prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. It's over the definition of gambling and whether states can keep these smartphone apps out.

Schools don’t need as many new English learners to qualify, and the Utah State Board of Education now has the discretion to award emergency funding to schools that demonstrate need.

The session is done. 540 bills were passed out of 1,020 pitched. But instead of ending on a bang, as it had in the past, the session ended with a polite "here, here" and a golf clap.

Utah's legislative session is 45 days long, and lawmakers are in the final day's sprint to beat the midnight deadline. Lawmakers got most of their promised court reforms — but were they able to get the rest of their priorities?

The Trump administration has a growing appetite to build domestic nuclear power and the industry that supports it. That dovetails with Utah's own interest in developing an in-state full-stop nuclear economy.

The bill would give judges more discretion in sending juveniles convicted of aggravated murder to adult prison and also changes the way the state collects some data on reoffenders.

The gas tax cut is about 6 cents per gallon and would start July 1. It’s good timing after the Iran war has jolted markets and oil prices.

Last year, lawmakers required users to have a hunting or fishing license on state wildlife management areas. They’re swapping that out for an educational and donation-based system.

“Let’s keep working on it,” one senator said after the House passed more changes, including an in-person ID requirement, for Utah’s popular mail-in ballots.