Sponsor yanks bill letting governor appoint chief justice

SALT LAKE CITY — A controversial bill that would allow the governor to appoint the chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court is getting a second look by its sponsor.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, said he pulled SB109 from a committee on Tuesday to extend the length of time a chief justice would be appointed from four to six or even eight years.

Jenkins said he came up with the idea after meeting with members of the judiciary on Monday to hear their concerns about the high court no longer choosing its own chief justice.

"They view this a little bit as politics," Jenkins said. "I listened to them."

However, the Senate majority leader acknowledged, his proposed change won't win over the bill's critics.

"They don't want it at all," Jenkins said. "They want me to back off it."

Last week, Justice Jill N. Parrish testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the bill was an "incredible" challenge to the separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches of state government.

The bill was held by the committee and was expected to be heard again Tuesday. Now, Jenkins said, it will likely be up for a committee vote on Friday.

— Lisa Riley Roche