Third District Court Judge Todd Shaughnessy will appear on Draper voters' ballots Nov. 3 in a nonpartisan retention election. Voters will decide whether to keep him on the bench.

Shaughnessy has served on the Third District Court since May 2011, when Governor Gary Herbert appointed him, according to a Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission report. The Third District covers Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties, which means the judge handles cases that affect Draper residents directly.

In a retention election, no challenger appears on the ballot.

Voters mark "yes" or "no."

Candidate information

  • Office: Utah District Court Judge, District 3
  • Appointed: May 2011 by Governor Gary Herbert
  • Education: J.D., University of Utah College of Law
  • Professional memberships: Fellow, American Bar Foundation; past president, Salt Lake County Bar Association; Master of the Bench, David K. Watkiss Sutherland Inn of Court

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Shaughnessy clerked at the Utah Supreme Court, according to the commission report. He then worked as an associate at the law firm Van Cott, Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy before becoming a partner at Snell & Wilmer, according to BallotReady.

While at the University of Utah College of Law, he served as managing editor of the Utah Law Review, according to the commission report.

As a sitting judge, Shaughnessy serves on the Utah Judicial Council, the governing body for Utah's judiciary, and on the Utah Judicial Conduct Commission, according to the Utah Courts website. Those two bodies oversee court administration and judicial ethics across the state.

Performance record

The Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission recommended Shaughnessy for retention in 2020 with a unanimous 12-0 vote, finding that he passed all eight performance standards the commission evaluates. Ninety-six percent of survey respondents recommended him for retention, according to the commission's report.

Shaughnessy received the Judicial Excellence Award from the Utah State Bar's Litigation Section for five consecutive years, from 2015 through 2019, according to the commission's report.

The general election ballot includes several judicial retention races across Utah. Draper voters can find their full ballot and polling information through the Salt Lake County Clerk's office.

The Draper Herald did not receive issue-position responses from this candidate. This profile is based on publicly available records from the Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission and the Utah Courts website.