Judge Stormont faces retention vote in Nov. 3 election

Cottonwood Heights and Holladay voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to retain Third District Court Judge Charles A. Stormont. The nonpartisan retention question asks voters to keep or remove Stormont from the bench he has held since June 2023.

Gov. Spencer J. Cox appointed Stormont to the Third District Court to fill the vacancy left by Judge Amy Oliver's appointment to the Utah Court of Appeals, according to the governor's office. As a Third District Court judge, Stormont serves Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties. That includes Cottonwood Heights and Holladay.

In a retention race, no challenger appears on the ballot. Voters mark "yes" to retain the judge or "no" to remove.

Candidate information

Name: Charles A. Stormont
Office: Utah District Court Judge, District 3
Appointed: June 2023 by Gov. Spencer J. Cox
Education: Bachelor's degree in mathematics and political science, Davidson College (1998); juris doctor, University of Virginia (2001)

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Stormont held legal and government roles across Utah, according to BallotReady profile data and the governor's office announcement:

Assistant attorney general, Utah Attorney General's Office (2008–2015)
Partner, Stormont Billings PLLC (2015–2016)
Of counsel, Fabian VanCott (2016–2018)
Senior counsel, Utah Transit Authority (2016–2018)
Director of right of way and property management, Utah Department of Transportation (2018–2023)

Stormont also ran as a candidate for Utah attorney general in 2014, according to the governor's office announcement.

His civic and professional service includes board membership at The Road Home and the I.J. & Jeannée Wagner Jewish Community Center. He served on the Utah State Bar's Third District Pro Bono Commission, the Utah State Bar Access to Justice Commission and the Utah Judicial Council's Standing Committee on Resources for Self-Represented Parties.

Stormont's awards include the S.J. Quinney College of Law Pro Bono Initiative 2016 Distinguished Pro Bono Attorney Award, the Utah Judicial Council 2015 Service to the Courts Award, the International Right of Way Association 2018 Government Employer of the Year Award and the Utah Department of Transportation 2019 Innovation Award.