Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen resigned on Friday, May 8, 2026, submitting a letter to Gov. Spencer Cox and making her departure effective immediately after a complaint landed before the state’s Judicial Conduct Commission. The complaint alleged that Hagen had an improper relationship with an attorney who argued cases before the court.
In her resignation letter, Hagen said, “It is with deep sadness that I tender my immediate resignation as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court.” She said she did so “with profound love and respect for my colleagues on the court, who are not only brilliant jurists but also dedicated, hard-working public servants,” and added that she “sincerely regret[s] the disruption my sudden departure will cause the court and the parties who come before it.”
Hagen, who had served on the court since 2022, said she had “faithfully upheld my oath to the Constitution and the ethical obligations that govern our profession.” The resignation ends her tenure months before she would have faced a retention election in fall 2026. The move also leaves the court short a justice while state leaders prepare to fill the vacancy.
The complaint centered on an attorney who represented several plaintiffs in Utah’s redistricting maps case, which led to a new congressional map being adopted in November 2025. Hagen recused herself from that case in 2025, citing a renewed friendship with the attorney. The lawyer accused of having a relationship with Hagen called the allegations false.
The allegations initially came from Hagen’s ex-husband, who said he suspected the relationship began around the time the marriage was falling apart and said his concern was based on text messages he said he had seen. Another attorney, after speaking with Hagen’s ex-husband, ultimately submitted the complaint to the commission. On the same day Hagen resigned, Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Chief Justice Matthew Durrant announced plans to review reforms to the Judicial Conduct Commission.
Schultz and Adams said they appreciated Hagen’s decision to step aside and would not push the matter further. They said they considered the issue related to Justice Hagen concluded and would conduct no further investigation into the specific allegations. The governor’s office said additional information about filling the vacancy would be announced in the coming days.
