Gov. Spencer J. Cox has selected Judge Matthew L. Bell and attorney Michael R. Menssen for two Utah Supreme Court vacancies and Elizabeth “Liz” Butler for a vacancy on the Third Judicial District Court, according to an Aug. 28 announcement. The Supreme Court vacancies were created by the retirement of Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the resignation of Justice Diana Hagen. Butler’s vacancy followed the retirement of Judge Hruby-Mills.
The appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Utah Senate. The Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee will review each appointee’s record, consider public comments and hold confirmation hearings before the nominees go before the full Senate for consideration.
Supreme Court nominees
Bell has served as a judge in the Fifth Judicial District since 2017 and currently is the district’s presiding judge. His public-service career also includes nine years as an assistant United States attorney for the District of Utah, work as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and prior service as a sworn peace officer. He earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he was lead note and comment editor for the BYU Law Review.
The governor selected Bell after a review by the Appellate Court Nominating Commission. Cox said Bell’s experience in law enforcement, federal prosecution and district court service would bring practical experience and a southern Utah perspective to the state’s highest court.
I understand the profound responsibility this appointment carries. If confirmed, I will remain steadfast in my sworn duty to support, obey, and defend the Constitution.
Menssen is a partner at Mayer Brown LLP in Salt Lake City, where he specializes in complex commercial litigation, labor and employment law and appeals. He previously was a partner at Stoel Rives LLP and an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, served as Articles Editor for the Virginia Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
Menssen has held leadership roles with local legal aid nonprofits and serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake, which assists low-income families and individuals and victims of domestic violence. He also chairs the Leadership Committee for And Justice for All, whose mission is to improve access to justice for all Utahns. The governor selected him after the Appellate Court Nominating Commission’s review process.
I have a deep love and respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, and the role of an independent judiciary. If confirmed, I will always strive to be a faithful steward of the trust placed in me.
Third District Court pick
Butler is shareholder and co-chair of the Litigation Department at Parsons Behle & Latimer, overseeing more than 100 attorneys across the Mountain West. She previously served as shareholder and chair of the board at Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough. Butler also is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law and volunteers with Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue.
Butler earned her Juris Doctor with highest honors from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, served on the Utah Law Review and graduated fifth in her class. Her selection followed a process conducted by the Third Judicial District Nominating Commission.
If confirmed, I will work hard to faithfully uphold the law and to ensure that all who appear before me are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.
