From the 2026 Utah Voter Guide, for the November 3, 2026 general election. Kept as published, with results added.
All 2026 items →Judicial Retention
Judge Michele M. Christiansen Forster
Court: Utah Court of AppealsCovers: All of UtahAppointed: 2010
Last updated
How Utah voted
Retained
Unofficial · as of November 4, 2026
Becomes official after the state canvass on November 23.
- Yes
- 79.7% · 491,631 votes
- No
- 20.3% · 125,417 votes
Needs more yes than no votes to be retained. Source: election results (opens in a new tab)
How it reads on your ballot
“Shall MICHELE M. CHRISTIANSEN FORSTER be retained in the office of Judge of the Court of Appeals of Utah?”
A yes vote
keeps this judge on the bench for another term.
A no vote
removes this judge when the current term ends. The governor appoints a replacement, confirmed by the Utah Senate.
State performance evaluation
State evaluation: Meets or exceeds standardsCommission vote
12–0
Survey respondents who would keep this judge
94%
Minimum standards passed
8 of 8
What this court does
The Utah Court of Appeals was created in 1987. It's made up of seven judges who serve six-year terms.
This court handles most appeals from Utah's District and Juvenile Courts, things like divorce and custody cases, criminal cases below first-degree felonies, and some state agency decisions. The Supreme Court can also send it certain cases to handle.
Judges hear cases in panels of three, not all seven at once. They hear oral arguments, discuss the case together, and one judge writes the opinion explaining the ruling. The Court mainly sits in Salt Lake City but travels to other parts of the state several times a year.