Joe Pyrah

Utah is the only state in the country that allows its judiciary to review itself, and that needs to change, says Sen. Chris Buttars.

With the muted approval of the courts, Buttars is sponsoring a bill that would create an independent judicial review commission.

Some view the bill as an attempted power grab on the courts, but Buttars said his intent is only to better educate citizens about their judges.

He said there are those who read the current voter pamphlet and become so confused they say, "'Well, I just vote no on everything, because I don't understand.' " That results in "a tremendous disfavor to a great group of judges in Utah."

There are several reasons for an independent commission, testified Jordan Singer of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. That includes building public trust and promoting citizen knowledge of the courts.

While the court officials don't directly oppose the bill, they feel it is unnecessary. On Friday, court administrator Richard Schwermer said only, "We agree with how this is conceptually laid out."

In her state of the judiciary speech on Monday, Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Christine Durham said two things would be "absolutely essential" for the commission: complete independence from political pressure and adequate funding to carry out the job.

The Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee passed the bill unanimously and it will now be heard on the Senate floor.