Sandy voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to retain Third District Court Judge Todd Shaughnessy.

The election is nonpartisan. Shaughnessy has served on the bench since May 2011, when Governor Gary Herbert appointed him. The Third District Court covers Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties.

The Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission unanimously recommended Shaughnessy for retention in its 2020 evaluation, voting 12-0 that he met all eight performance standards. Ninety-six percent of survey respondents recommended him for retention, according to the commission's report.

Candidate information

  • Office: Utah District Court Judge, District 3 (retention)
  • Election: Nov. 3, 2026, Utah General Election
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Appointed: May 2011 by Governor Gary Herbert
  • Education: Juris doctor, University of Utah College of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Utah Law Review
  • Jurisdiction: Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Shaughnessy clerked at the Utah Supreme Court, according to the commission's 2020 report. He worked as an associate at Van Cott, Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy, according to the commission report, and later as a partner at Snell & Wilmer, according to BallotReady election data.

Shaughnessy is a member of the Utah Judicial Council, the governing body for the state's judiciary, and a member of the Utah Judicial Conduct Commission, according to the Utah Courts website. He is a past president of the Salt Lake County Bar Association, a fellow in the American Bar Foundation and a Master of the Bench in the David K. Watkiss Sutherland Inn of Court.

The Utah State Bar's Litigation Section awarded him its Judicial Excellence Award from 2015 through 2019, according to the commission's report.

Information in this profile comes from the Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission's 2020 retention report, the Utah Courts website and BallotReady election data.