Utah

Why a third-party choice is best for state attorney general

Published

2 years ago

May 18, 2024

Why a third-party choice is best for state attorney general

If you missed the recent Utah Republican Party convention, count yourself lucky. It was 15 hours of grueling, mean, misogynist, partisan rhetoric, with some vile attacks against children thrown in for good measure.

I wasn’t there. I recently left the Utah Republican Party and my leadership positions within the party. The E. Jean Carroll trial was my last straw. Knowing that a jury of his peers found the GOP frontrunner liable in that case was something I wasn’t willing to look past.

I’m not alone. According to Gallup, in 2023, independent voters constituted the largest voting bloc in the U.S. at 43%, and above 40% for most years since 2011. Only 27% of U.S. adults identify as either Republican or Democrat. In Utah, unaffiliated voters are the second largest voting bloc after Republicans at almost 30% of registered voters.

The complexities of Utah politics make leaving the Utah GOP (and/or joining the Utah GOP) a nuanced decision — staying and/or joining in order to engage in the primary election process.

Allow me to present an alternative vision, at least as it relates to the Utah Office of the Attorney General.

Utah’s office of the attorney general has had a complicated history, to say the least. Utah’s partisan system incentivizes attorneys general to follow their donors’ wishes, enables pay-to-play schemes and ignores Utah voters, to the detriment of Utah’s top law firm.

Instead of focusing on state legal work or modernizing the office’s e-discovery methods so courts don’t label them as “haphazard,” or even ensuring the office’s staff are appropriately compensated, the partisan nature of the top leadership role changes the dynamics of that traditionally nonpartisan role.

But politics have no place in law enforcement.

Utah’s judges aren’t elected, thankfully. Attorneys aren’t political. And yet Utah’s attorney general is a partisan office.

The attorney general represents Utah voters in Utah’s highest courts. Who is representing Utah voters if a hyperpartisan attorney general is beholden to national party bosses and their purse strings or, even worse, to himself?

There is no question that the office needs reform; the for-sale sign needs to go.

One idea floated by Republican leaders is to appoint the attorney general instead of elect her. But that removes choice from Utahns and consolidates even more power in a government already controlled by a supermajority of Republican legislators (80% Republican) that fails to reflect Utah’s population (50% Republican).

The better option is to elect a nonpartisan attorney general. But Utah’s laws do not currently provide for such an option.

The next best option is to elect a third-party attorney general untainted by party politics and untethered from either major political party or their purse strings — essentially, a nonpartisan attorney general.

That is why I am running as a third-party candidate and member of the United Utah Party, whose platform includes the principle of ethical government and transparency, which is one of my priorities in office.

I’ve been a Wall Street lawyer, a federal court clerk, a solo practitioner, a law school dean of admissions, a Utah State Bar commissioner, and am now a business litigator, appellate advocate and familiar face in Utah’s legal community.

As you make your decision about who you will vote for in the Republican primary over the next month, I urge you to remember there is a better option on the November ballot.

A vote for me in November will do three things:

Send a message to those who have been stewards of this office for decades that voters are unhappy with that stewardship.
Reform the office to what is essentially a nonpartisan attorney general and get the politics out of the office by disconnecting it from big party bosses and their purse strings.
Elect the best candidate with the most experience and service in Utah’s legal community whose only interest is to refocus back on state legal issues.

I look forward to earning your vote in November.

Michelle Quist is a business litigator and appellate attorney at Holland & Hart in Salt Lake City, a mother of seven and the United Utah Party candidate for attorney general of Utah.

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Utah

Man arrested for DUI after rear-ending Utah County deputy

Published

5 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested for DUI after rear-ending Utah County deputy

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Police arrested a man whom they say is a “habitual offender” of driving under the influence after he crashed into a patrol vehicle.

A Utah County Sheriff’s deputy said he was patrolling in Springville early Sunday morning when a pickup truck driven by Richard Andrew Roberson, 38, collided with his vehicle. The deputy said he was stopped at a stop sign when Roberson hit him from behind.

When the deputy approached Roberson’s vehicle at a nearby gas station, he said the suspect showed signs of being intoxicated and also smelled like alcohol. He agreed to a field sobriety test, during which the officer said he showed multiple signs of being impaired.

Roberson was then arrested, and police say a urine test showed positive results for alcohol and marijuana, while a blood test is pending.

Police said Roberson’s driver’s license from California is currently suspended, and his vehicle was not insured.

While looking into Roberson’s background, police say they discovered that he’s had “nearly a dozen” DUI charges or convictions across four different states. His most recent convictions were in 2016 and 2017 in another state, but his most recent DUI charges were a pair of incidents in Utah within the past two months.

The arresting officer wrote that these factors indicate that Roberson “is a habitual offender and is a danger to the public.”

Roberson was arrested for felony DUI, driving on a suspended license, and operating a vehicle without insurance. A judge denied bail.

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Utah

Pair of Utah Jazz Veterans Emerging as Trade Candidates

Published

17 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Pair of Utah Jazz Veterans Emerging as Trade Candidates

With just under a week to go until the NBA trade deadline arrives, the Utah Jazz are beginning to see a few names around their roster pop up in the some rumors as potential movers in the coming days.

As of late, two veteran names have come to the forefront as the most likely names to be shipped off before the deadline: Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson.

NBA insider Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune recently broke down the current situations revolving around the Jazz’s deadline plans and what could be in store for both Love and Anderson, circling the pair as perhaps the two most likely players to be traded from Utah before February 5th.

“Fellow veterans Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love are less in the Jazz’s plans moving forward, though, and could be moved if the situation made sense…” Larsen wrote. “Anderson has played well when on the court for Utah, but has frequently found himself out of the rotation as the Jazz prioritize youth.”

“The 37-year-old Love, meanwhile, is an impending free agent making $4 million this season. He also has played relatively well in his infrequent minutes for the Jazz. These players aren’t expected to have significant league interest, but the Jazz could make a deal similar to that of the one they made last season, when they sent veterans Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills to the Clippers in exchange for P.J. Tucker’s contract and a second-round pick.”

Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson Could Be Jazz’s Most Likely Deadline Movers

Both Love and Anderson have been productive veterans when given a role in the rotation for the Jazz, albeit in spotty minutes throughout the first half of the season.

However, with both not a part of the Jazz’s long-term timeline, combined with their contractual status of becoming free agents as soon as this summer, the two become obvious players to watch as guys who could be sent on the move before that trade deadline buzzer sounds.

Dec 15, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Moussa Cisse (30) pokes the ball away from Utah Jazz forward Kyle Anderson (2) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The possible hurdle when dealing one or both of Love and Anderson for the Jazz centers on generating interest around them.

As Larsen notes, not a ton of teams are exactly chomping at the bit to land a 32-year-old veteran forward or a 37-year-old big on expiring deals. Especially with many teams looking to cut down on their total salary rather than adding to it, an addition of a $9.2 million salary on the books from Anderson might not be much of a coveted asset on the trade market.

But as proven from last season’s Patty Mills and Drew Eubanks deal with the LA Clippers, all it takes is one interested team to offer a worthwhile package to the Jazz worth accepting for that swap to come to fruition. Even if the incoming package is just a couple of future seconds, such a return could be worth pulling the trigger on.

Utah’s front office is certainly sniffing around for similar opportunities to strike upon this season, but that could be easier said than done.

Maybe Love and Anderson will be the next names to join the list of Jazz trade deadline movers since their rebuild kicked off, but Utah’s front office will have until February 5th to find the right package to do so.

Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

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Utah

Alex Jensen calls out Utah basketball’s selfishness following loss to Oklahoma State

Published

1 day ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Alex Jensen calls out Utah basketball’s selfishness following loss to Oklahoma State

Utah men’s basketball head coach Alex Jensen isn’t mincing words anymore.

A week after saying his team “quit” down the stretch of a double-digit loss to BYU, the Jensen delivered another brutally honest assessment of the Runnin’ Utes following their 81-69 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

“We were very selfish tonight,” Jensen said during his postgame press conference. “I thought we were getting better at that, but we were individually very selfish.”

Jensen’s group was neck-and-neck with the Cowboys for a majority of their Big 12 tilt at the Huntsman, until another late-game collapse costed Utah (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) another opportunity at earning a league win.

Despite a stretch of miscues, the Runnin’ Utes found themselves down by three with just over 6 minutes left in regulation. They struggled to find the bottom of the net the rest of the way, though, leaving the doors open for the Cowboys to grow their lead to double-digits inside the final 2 minutes.

Utah’s offense stalled, in part, because of a lack of ball movement. The Runnin’ Utes didn’t have an assist in the final 6:40 of regulation and finished the game with 11 dimes total, tied for their third-fewest in a game this season. Utah went 3-for-11 from the field after falling behind, 62-59, with 6 minutes left in regulation.

“Too many guys are in their own world,” Jensen said. “Too many guys started the game thinking about just scoring.”

“There’s other ways to be selfish: guys not talking, guys not being ready to shoot. Players win games, not coaches, and the players can’t do it unless they do it together.”

Utah looked less than prepared to defend Cowboys fifth-year guard Anthony Roy, a career 42.8% shooter from 3 who came into Saturday as one of the top outside shooters in the Big 12. The 6-foot-3 Oakland, California, native lived up to his reputation against Utah, as he knocked down five treys in a 26-point performance to lead Oklahoma State.

“We’re not a very good defensive team,” Jensen said. “A lot of times it’s not the scheme; you just got to guard the guy in front of you. I don’t have a solution for that right now.”

The defensive end of the floor continued to be a problem for Utah, which dropped to No. 234 in the country in adjusted efficiency on KenPom.com. Saturday was Utah’s 11th time allowing 80 or more points this season.

Perhaps the only positive Jensen took away from Saturday: the energy inside the Huntsman Center noticeably improved from where it was at the start of the season.

“The crowd was great tonight,” Jensen said. “I’m embarrassed because that was far from the University of Utah team that’s been here for decades. We might lose, but we’re not going to lose that way. So we’re going to work on it and find some different combinations.”

Terrence Brown led Utah with 20 points, marking his 15th such game of the season. Only Andrew Bogut (22) and Keith Van Horn (20) have more 20-point games in a single season in Utah history.

Keanu Dawes added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Don McHenry had 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting.

The Runnin’ Utes are back in action Wednesday for a home game against Arizona State (7 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network).