Utah Court of Appeals Judge John D. Luthy faces a nonpartisan retention vote on the Nov. 3 ballot. He is one of at least three appellate judges up for retention in the 2026 general election.

Luthy was appointed to the court in October 2022 by Governor Spencer J. Cox, according to the Utah Courts official biography. A Cache Valley native, according to a Utah Policy report on his appointment, Luthy graduated magna cum laude from Utah State University in 1996 and cum laude from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 2000, according to his courts biography. In a retention race, voters decide whether to keep a sitting judge on the bench. There is no opposing candidate.

Candidate information

  • Office: Utah Court of Appeals Judge (Retain Luthy?)
  • Election: Nov. 3, 2026, Utah General Election
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Native of: Cache Valley, Utah
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in political science and government, magna cum laude, Utah State University, 1996; juris doctor, cum laude, J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, 2000

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Luthy worked in private practice, legal education and county government, according to his courts biography and BallotReady profile data.

Clerkships: Luthy clerked for Utah Court of Appeals Judge Gregory K. Orme from 2000 to 2002, Utah Supreme Court Justice Richard C. Howe in 2002 and Utah Court of Appeals Judge Russell W. Bench in 2003, according to BallotReady.

Private practice: He worked as an attorney at Suitter Axland from 2003 to 2006 and at Peck Hadfield Baxter & Moore from 2014 to 2019, according to BallotReady.

Teaching: Luthy served as an instructor of legal writing at the University of South Carolina from 2006 to 2014, according to BallotReady. He also served as an adjunct professor at Utah State University and as an adjunct instructor at the U.S. Department of Justice National Advocacy Center, according to his courts biography.

County government: He served as chief civil deputy county attorney at Cache County from 2019 to 2021 and then as Cache County attorney from 2021 to 2022, according to BallotReady.

Professional leadership: Luthy served as president of the Cache County Bar Association and as an executive committee member of the Appellate Practice Section of the Utah State Bar, according to his courts biography.

This profile was built from publicly available records, including the Utah Courts official biography and BallotReady election data.