Utah Code § 78A-2-113: Judicial hiring freeze authorized.

(1) As used in this section, "General Fund budget deficit" means a situation where General Fund appropriations made by the Legislature for a fiscal year exceed the estimated revenues adopted by the Executive Appropriations Committee of the Legislature for the General Fund in that fiscal year.

(2) During a General Fund budget deficit, the governor, president of the Senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, and chief justice of the Supreme Court, may, by unanimous vote, implement a judicial hiring freeze for judicial vacancies for:

(a) a juvenile court district with three or more juvenile court judges;

(b) a district court district with three or more district court judges;

(c) all Business and Chancery Court judges;

(d) all Constitutional Court judges if Chapter 5b, Constitutional Court, takes effect as described in Section 78A-5b-102;

(e) all appellate court judges; or

(f) any combination of Subsections (2)(a) through (e).

(3) In implementing a judicial hiring freeze, the governor, president of the Senate, speaker of the House, and chief justice of the Supreme Court shall:

(a) establish the length of that hiring freeze; and

(b) ensure that the hiring freeze lasts at least 90 days, but not longer than the last day of the annual general session of the Legislature.