Sandy voters will see Judge Matthew D. Bates on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The question: should he be retained on the Utah Third District Court bench?

Bates has served as a Third District Court judge since July 2016, when Governor Gary R. Herbert appointed him, according to the Utah Courts official biography. The Third District Court covers Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties. That means Bates handles cases that directly affect Sandy residents.

Retention elections are nonpartisan. Voters answer "yes" or "no" on whether to keep a sitting judge in office. No other candidate appears on the ballot for this seat.

Candidate information

  • Name: Matthew D. Bates
  • Office: Utah District Court Judge, District 3 (Third District Court)
  • Election: Utah General Election, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
  • Education: Juris doctor from Brigham Young University (2003)
  • Ballot status: Certified for the ballot

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Bates built his career as a prosecutor. He worked in the litigation and criminal appeals divisions at the Utah Attorney General's Office, according to BallotReady. He then served as a prosecutor at the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office from 2008 to 2011, KPCW reported.

Bates went on to become chief prosecutor at the Summit County Attorney's Office. In that role, he helped establish Summit County's drug court program and worked with the Summit County Sheriff's Office on the state's Justice Reinvestment Initiative, according to the Park Record.

Governor Herbert selected Bates from a pool of five nominees to fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Charlene Barlow, KPCW reported. The Utah Senate confirmed his appointment by a unanimous vote.

Bates has served on the Third District Court since 2016. Sandy falls within the court's jurisdiction as part of Salt Lake County.

This profile was compiled from publicly available sources including the Utah Courts official biography, Park Record, KPCW and BallotReady.