A Utah Supreme Court justice resigned this week after a judicial conduct investigation into an alleged personal relationship with an attorney who litigated a high-stakes redistricting case before her court — a case that determined whether Utah would keep four Republican congressional seats.
Justice Diana Hagen, who served on the bench for twenty-six years, wrote in her resignation letter to Gov. Spencer Cox: "I also understand that public officials are rightly held to a higher standard and must accept a greater degree of public scrutiny and diminished privacy." The Judicial Conduct Commission conducted a preliminary investigation and chose not to pursue formal action. Hagen said she voluntarily recused herself from cases involving attorney David Reymann in May 2025.
The Honor Code's first obligation is simple: don't put yourself where the conflict lives. When a judge cannot guarantee the separation of personal loyalty from the authority of the bench, the constitutional order she swore to uphold is already compromised — whatever the conduct commission decides.