Draper-area voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to retain Third District Court Judge Matthew D. Bates. The nonpartisan retention question asks voters a simple yes or no: should Bates keep his seat?
Bates has served on the Third District Court since July 2016, when Governor Gary R. Herbert appointed him to fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Charlene Barlow. He was selected from a pool of five nominees, according to KPCW. The Utah Senate confirmed his appointment by a unanimous vote.
The Third District Court covers Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties, according to his official biography on the Utah Courts website. Bates is one of several judges appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot for retention. Voters in the Draper area, which sits in Salt Lake County, fall within the Third District's jurisdiction.
Candidate information
- Name: Matthew D. Bates
- Office: Utah District Court Judge, District 3
- Race: Retention (nonpartisan)
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
- Ballot status: Certified
- Education: juris doctor, Brigham Young University (2003)
Experience and public service
Before joining the bench, Bates spent years as a prosecutor across multiple Utah offices. 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, according to KPCW. After that, Bates became chief prosecutor at the Summit County Attorney's Office.
That Summit County role shaped much of his pre-bench record. He helped establish Summit County's drug court program and worked with the Summit County Sheriff's Office and others on the state's Justice Reinvestment Initiative, according to the Park Record.
Herbert appointed Bates to the Third District Court in July 2016. He has now served on the bench for a decade.
This profile was compiled from publicly available records, court biographies and prior news coverage.
