FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Better Utah commends Judge Scott Johansen for his decision to retire
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Salt Lake City, Utah – Late last week, Judge Scott Johansen retired from his position with the Seventh District Juvenile Court system. Judge Johansen’s retirement comes after a number of Johansen’s controversial decisions and actions were widely reported and criticized. Calls for disciplinary action included a call for Johansen’s impeachment by the Alliance for a Better Utah.
In response to Judge Johansen’s retirement, Better Utah today commended Judge Johansen for his decision. Josh Kanter, Founder and Board Chair of Better Utah said “Whatever Judge Johansen’s motivations to retire at this particular time, we commend him for putting the interests of his community and the credibility of the judiciary above his personal interests. We wish Judge Johansen well.”
On November 15, 2015, The Alliance for a Better Utah launched a citizens petition calling for Johansen’s impeachment and called on the Utah Legislature to commence impeachment proceedings against him. Johansen was involved in a number of controversial rulings over a multi-year period, including, among others, demanding that a foster child be removed from the home of a lesbian couple simply because they were gay, requiring a mother to cut off her daughter’s ponytail in court, and slapping a young boy. Johansen’s rulings, Better Utah’s petition, now with over 2,500 signatures, and the call for Johansen’s impeachment has garnered national and international media attention.
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