Utah News

The Utah Mammoth’s first taste of playoff hockey delivered everything it promised—speed, chaos, physicality—and then ended in a gut punch.

The Vegas Golden Knights rallied from multiple deficits to defeat Utah 4–2 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, flipping what felt like a tightly controlled debut into a third-period collapse for the visitors.

Vegas, now unbeaten in regulation in its recent stretch under head coach John Tortorella (8-0-1), once again leaned on relentless pressure and depth scoring to overwhelm Utah late. Colton Sissons led the charge with a goal and an assist, while Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev also found the back of the net. Carter Hart turned aside 32 shots, and Noah Hanifin chipped in two assists from the blue line.

For Utah, Logan Cooley and Kevin Stenlund provided the offense, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots in a game that featured momentum swings, heavy contact, and a simmering edge that boiled over several times—including a post-buzzer altercation.

Utah didn’t just show up—they struck first, and nearly carried that energy into intermission.

Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt threaded a perfect cross-ice feed to Logan Cooley, who buried a one-timer from the right circle with just 11 seconds left in the opening period. It was the kind of moment that briefly quieted the building and hinted at a dream start for the league’s newest postseason entrant.

The second period, however, belonged to chaos.

Sissons tied the game at 3:44, jamming home a rebound off a Cole Smith feed. Utah responded quickly, reclaiming the lead when a strange sequence near the crease ended with the puck deflecting into the net off a Vegas miscue, officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.

But that edge was fragile.

The Golden Knights’ response came in waves—and with force.

Mark Stone evened things up on the power play, hammering home a rebound at 5:33 of the third period. From there, the tone of the game shifted entirely. Vegas tilted the ice, leaned on Utah’s defensive zone mistakes, and eventually broke through again when a turnover by MacKenzie Weegar led to a decisive go-ahead goal off a Noah Hanifin shot, finished by Sissons’ presence around the puck.

Ivan Barbashev sealed it with an empty-net goal, putting a punctuation mark on a night where Vegas simply refused to fade.

Utah, meanwhile, was left to absorb the reality of playoff margins—small mistakes, magnified instantly.

The series continues Tuesday night back in Las Vegas, where Utah will try to reset before the moment starts feeling even heavier.

Hotel management company Stonebridge is set to oversee operations at a Kimpton hotel currently being constructed in central Salt Lake City, Utah, US.

Developed by The Domain Companies, the hotel is scheduled to welcome guests in early 2028.

It will include 216 rooms across ten storeys and will house two separate dining venues, including one rooftop option.

Guests will also have access to meeting spaces totalling 7,000ft², with facilities such as a ballroom, boardroom and pre-function areas.

Amenities will include a fitness centre, valet parking services and terraces designed for both indoor and outdoor gatherings throughout the year.

The hotel’s location places it within ten minutes’ walking distance of the Delta Center, Pioneer Park and City Creek.

Commuters will be able to reach Salt Lake City International Airport in 15 minutes.

The Domain Companies co-CEO Matt Schwartz said: “We are grateful to be partnering with Stonebridge, which brings deep expertise in operating luxury and lifestyle hotels with expansive food and beverage programmes.

“This project will provide downtown Salt Lake City with a world-class hotel experience that will set a new standard for hospitality in the market.”

Stonebridge CEO Rob Smith said: “This location, with its level of design, food and beverage activation, and brand backing, positions a Kimpton to outperform its competitive set.

“Our focus will be on building a ramp-up strategy that maximises rate, drives premium demand segmentation, and delivers long-term returns for ownership.”

Last month, Kimpton Era Midtown New York opened in Manhattan, US, expanding the brand’s presence in the city.

Developed and managed by Extell Development, the 33-storey property represents the company’s first directly operated hotel project.

“Stonebridge to oversee new Kimpton hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah” was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand.

The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth, 4-2, in Round 1 Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena and The Sporting Tribune’s RJ Forbus was there to capture the following TST Images.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights G Carter Hart (79) celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Utah Mammoth in Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights F Colton Sissons (10) celebrates with his teammate F Cole Smith (22) after scoring a goal against the Utah Mammoth during Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights F Nic Dowd (26) bleeds from his forehead after being high sticked by Utah Mammoth F Logan Cooley (92) during Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights F Mark Stone (61) high fives his teammate F Tomas Hertl (48) after scoring a goal against the Utah Mammoth during Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Utah Mammoth D Sean Durzi (50) yells at Vegas Golden Knights D Rasmus Andersson (4) during a scrum at Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights F Nic Dowd (26) roars after he scores the go-ahead goal against the Utah Mammoth in Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights F Ivan Barbashev (49) reacts after he scores an empty net goal against the Utah Mammoth during Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Multiple players for the Vegas Golden Knights react after a scrum with the Utah Mammoth during Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights F Brett Howden (21) jumps past Utah Mammoth F Kailer Yamamoto (56) while chasing a puck during Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RJ Forbus – The Sporting Tribune

Vegas Golden Knights F Brett Howden (21) watches for the puck after a face-off during Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs against the Utah Mammoth on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RIVERTON, Utah (AP) — When a dozen Republican activists gathered on a back deck in the Salt Lake City suburbs to talk about this year’s elections, the conversation cycled through all the staples of conservative chatter in Utah such as dwindling water supplies, illegal immigrant fraud and chemtrail conspiracy theories.

But Doug Fiefia, a state representative running to be a state senator, wanted to start with something else — artificial intelligence. Fiefia used to work at Google and, like several other tech employees who have gone into politics, he has made regulating the industry a centerpiece of his campaign.

“I know it sounds like ‘Doug, this is all you talk about,”’ Fiefia said. “That’s because it’s coming, it’s here and it’s going to be our biggest fight.”

Fiefia’s focus has put him on a collision course with President Donald Trump’s administration, which this year helped block his state proposal requiring companies to include child safety protocols. The White House wants a single national standard for artificial intelligence, arguing that a patchwork of excessive regulation could handicap American innovation in a global competition with China.

But with no progress in Congress, it has been state lawmakers struggling to address concerns about a technology that is poised to reshape the economy. In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis added the issue to a special legislative session that he is convening later this month. Democratic-controlled New York last year required major AI developers to report dangerous incidents to the state.

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All told, there are more than 1,000 state legislative proposals addressing AI, a reflection of the uneasiness that has seeped through the country.

“None of us are really sure,” said Brett Young, a structural engineer who attended the backyard event with Fiefia. “Is this something we should be scared about, or is it no so big a deal and it’ll enhance our lives?”

Pressure in the states

Trump has routinely tried to stamp out state-level AI policies, and he issued an executive order that included legal threats and funding penalties to deter new regulations.

The White House recently released a framework for potential congressional legislation that calls for preempting state laws considered “too burdensome” but would allow some rules to protect children and copyright material.

None of these steps has eased the number of proposals in state capitals. Popular ideas include forcing chatbots to remind users they are not human and barring the use of AI to make nonconsensual pornography, which includes replacing or removing clothing from photos that are posted online.

“There’s a lot of state lawmakers looking at what the federal government is doing and saying, ‘We want to take action because we’re not satisfied,’” said Craig Albright, senior vice president for government relations for the Business Software Alliance, which represents software companies.

About 8 in 10 people in the United States said they were “concerned” or “very concerned” about AI in a Quinnipiac poll last month, with about three-quarters saying government is not doing enough to regulate the technology. Roughly 9 in 10 Democrats and 6 in 10 Republicans wanted more government involvement.

The most significant regulations have passed in California and New York, solidly Democratic states. The provisions focus on disclosure of catastrophic risk, such as the AI-controlled meltdown of nuclear plants or AI models refusing to heed human direction.

But there is pressure in Republican-led states, too.

DeSantis pushed a bill to implement parental controls for minors using AI and to prohibit systems from using anyone’s likeness without permission. It fell short in the state House after overwhelmingly passing the state Senate. AI bills in Republican-controlled Louisiana and Missouri have stalled out because of Trump administration resistance.

‘An army of full-time lobbyists’

Fiefia is part of a loose network of former tech employees turned state lawmakers trying to meet the demand for stronger regulations. He co-chairs the AI task force of the Future Caucus, a network of younger state lawmakers, with Monique Priestley, a Vermont Democrat who also has worked in tech.

Priestley said the group uses video conferences and group chats to share ideas for new proposals and deal with lobbyists who oppose their bills. She said that 166 of her state’s 482 registered lobbyists weighed in on her data privacy bill last year, which was ultimately vetoed by the governor.

“It’s like you’re running around against an army of full-time lobbyists,” said Priestley. Like many state lawmakers, she works a separate, full-time job.

Alex Bores, a former data scientist at the tech firm Palantir who quit after it signed a deal to help the first Trump administration with immigration enforcement, is also a member of the AI task force. A Democrat, Bores wrote the New York bill that was signed into law last year.

Now Bores is competing in the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler representing the east side of Manhattan and parts of Queen and Brooklyn in Congress, and he is facing payback from the industry. A pro-AI campaign committee has spent $2.3 million against his candidacy.

Bores said tech companies are trying to make an example of him to scare off more regulation at the state and federal level.

“It’s one reasons it’s so important for me to win this race is because, if I don’t, that intimidation they’re trying on Congress will be successful,” he said. Bores’ competitors in the June 23 primary include Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, and George Conway, a former Republican who has become one of Trump’s chief antagonists on social media.

From Google to politics

Fiefia has not attracted the sort of attention as Bores as he tries to move to the state Senate after a single session in the House. The subdivisions and shopping centers of his district are sandwiched between Utah’s jagged mountain ranges and the cul de sacs are crammed with children on bikes and scooters.

The son of Tongan immigrants, Fiefia grew up in Utah but moved to Silicon Valley, where he worked as a salesperson for Google.

Fiefia rose to manage a team working with companies on the implementation of Google’s early AI model and was disturbed by what he saw.

“What I realized is Big Tech cares about their bottom line, and they were worried about making money, not doing right for the human race,” said Fiefia, who now works at a Utah-based cloud computing and AI company.

Fiefia’s legislation was unanimously passed by a House committee this year, but the Trump administration sent a letter to the Senate saying that the measure was “unfixable.” The measure quickly died.

Daniel McCay, the state senator who Fiefia is challenging in the primary, said he thinks that was a good thing.

“I’ve been around long enough to recognize the invention of fire, the wheel, cars and the internet did not ruin society and I’m very skeptical of anyone trying to scare society into regulations,” McCay said in an interview.

He noted that the bill went beyond child safety, including whistleblower protection for AI workers and public disclosure of risks.

“It would have driven Utah out of the AI innovation business,” McCay said.

At the cottage meeting — the Utah term for a small gathering at someone’s home to discuss important issues — Fiefia faced several tech-related questions from the crowd.

Asked about defying the Trump administration, Fiefia said it was especially important to stand up for states’ rights when a fellow Republican was in power to demonstrate the principles involved.

“The Trump administration is, ‘We want zero regulations on AI,’” Fiefia said. “I think that’s wrong. I agree with a lot of what Trump says on taxes. I disagree with him on this.”

The Utah men’s basketball received some needed help in the frontcourt Saturday with a commitment from Weber State transfer Malek Gomma, according to reports.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Seattle will join the Runnin’ Utes for his senior season after spending two seasons with Chris Victor’s Redhawks and one with Eric Duft’s Wildcats. He becomes the third transfer portal acquisition for Alex Jensen and company, joining Jackson Holcombe (Utah Valley) and Taison Chatman (Ohio State).

As a full-time starter, Gomma led Weber State and finished No. 4 in the Big Sky with 6.9 rebounds per game, in addition to averaging 8 points and 1.4 assists. He shot an efficient 53.6% from the field on 6 attempts per contest and knocked down 47% of his free throws.

Time will tell whether Gomma’s production carries over against Big 12 competition. For the time being, though, he adds size, experience and depth at a position the Utes needed to improve in the offseason. Going into Saturday, the only frontcourt player who’d played in a Division I game on the roster was Babacar Faye, a 6-foot-9 Western Kentucky transfer who missed all of last season at Utah due to injury.

Gomma has shown to be at his most effective when he’s getting the ball around the painted area — a play style the Utes’ 2025-26 roster lacked. Whether his height and size is built for the physical Big 12 remains to be seen.

With Gomma on board, Utah’s roster is up to 13 scholarship players when factoring in its six-person recruiting class and the four players expected to return from the 2025-26 roster: Lucas Langarita, Obomate Abbey, Colin McHaney and Faye.

Gomma has played in 84 games, including 41 starts, across his three-year career. During his time at Seattle, he put up 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 58.2% from the field across 52 games (nine starts).

Gomma’s opportunities increased once he arrived in Ogden, Utah, for the 2025-26 season, with his minutes jumping from 13.6 per game to 25.1 with the Wildcats. After tallying three games with 10 or more points during his Redhawks tenure, he finished in double-figures nine times with Weber State, including a career-high 19 points and 13 rebounds in a December win over Kansas City.

Roughly a month prior to that game, Gomma nearly helped the Wildcats pull off an upset over the Utes at the Huntsman Center. He had 14 points and six rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting, though Utah managed to knock down big-time shots down the stretch of a 92-89 overtime victory.

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There are still 138 days until Utah kicks off the 2026 football season, but the excitement level for Morgan Scalley’s first campaign as Ute head coach was high at Utah’s “22 For U” fan event on Saturday.

Thousands of fans waited in a line that stretched well out the door at the Spence Eccles Field House and onto Guardsman Way for their chance to interact with Utah’s players and get autographs from the team — an impressive turnout for an event announced just three weeks ago.

Saturday’s fan event replaced the football team’s traditional spring game. Instead of the annual scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Utah had its final practice of spring camp on Friday, with Scalley preferring to utilize the 15th practice as an actual practice instead of the game.

With no fans able to take in football this spring, Scalley wanted to still get them involved as practices concluded, so Utah organized the event for fans to meet the players.

Though nothing is as good as watching live football at Rice-Eccles Stadium, judging by the turnout and the smiles on fans’ faces, the event was a hit.

“It was a cool event. Getting to meet all the players was fun, so hope they do this again and again in the future,” said Ute fan Grady Bell.

In addition to players, Utah’s assistant coaches — from running backs coach Mark Atuaia to safeties assistant Jordan Fogal — were on hand for two hours, guiding kids through a number of football drills, including tackling a dummy and passing practice.

Observing it all was the new head man, who made time to talk with each fan who approached him at the event.

“We wanted to do this fan fest simply because not often do you get to see the faces of our players. You see helmet, you see shoulder pads,” Scalley said.

“These are unbelievable young men that we love that make this community, this university proud and so grateful that you’re able to meet them, shake hands, get autographs. Love having you here.”

Scalley, who played at Utah from 2001-2004, has been on staff in Salt Lake City since 2006, when he was hired by Kyle Whittingham as an administrative assistant shortly after Whittingham became head coach in 2005.

The former star safety quickly rose up the coaching ladder, becoming Utah’s safeties coach in 2008 and later the Utes’ defensive coordinator in 2016.

In almost a decade calling Utah’s defense, Scalley’s unit finished the season ranked in the top 25 nationally in fewest points allowed five times.

Long considered Whittingham’s eventual successor, he took over as Utah’s head coach in December after Whittingham stepped down and later became Michigan’s head coach.

Early reviews from players on Scalley’s tenure have touched on the high level of energy he brings to the team and his loyalty to the university.

“He shows by example. You can tell that he will die for the program. Seriously, I don’t know anybody else that is more dedicated to anything than coach Scalley, and I totally mean that,” said Utah safety Jackson Bennee.

Since taking over, Scalley has injected new life into the program and has literally put his money where his mouth is, donating $2 million to the football program in March in a unique move.

“I’m one of you. All of you that are sitting in here that went through the same thing, I’m a fan. I’m a Ute. Have been, forever will be,” Scalley said in his introductory press conference.

While the years and games ahead will prove just what kind of coach Scalley is, the excitement from fans about the new era is palpable.

Michael Rognon, who drove down from Davis County with his family to attend Saturday’s event, is ready for the Scalley era to start.

“We’ve been Utah fans for a long time and we’ve been fans of Morgan Scalley for a long time and it’s hard not to be excited with the excitement that he brings,” Rognon said.

“He’s always animated. He’s always excited. He’s always cheering everyone on, so it’s hard not to be excited as our family is to see him.”

Rognon has liked how Scalley built his staff — especially the addition of former All-Pro lineman Jordan Gross, who helped keep five-star offensive lineman Kelvin Obot in Salt Lake City — and that Utah’s new coach retained a good chunk of key players.

“He did as good a job retaining people as he could with Kyle Whittingham leaving, so hopefully he maintains that culture,” Rognon said.

The transition from Whittingham to Scalley certainly wasn’t the smooth one originally envisioned by Utah when it devised the coach-in-waiting plan. Public records released in March showed that Whittingham wanted to return for the 2026 season and provided a glimpse into negotiations for a raise in the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Utah countered with a proposed one-year contract for the 2026 season, which would have increased Whittingham’s total salary to $8 million; however, it noted that Scalley, the coach-in-waiting, would have “full and final oversight in decision-making for the areas of football recruiting/player personnel staffing and the general manager position effective Feb. 1,” which was after the 2026 transfer portal closed.

Whittingham and the university could not come to an agreement on those terms, and on Dec. 12, the school announced that Whittingham was stepping down after 21 years as head coach.

Weeks later, Whittingham became the head coach at Michigan when the job opened up after Sherrone Moore was fired.

Six Utah assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Jason Beck, followed him to Ann Arbor. So did five players, including cornerback Smith Snowden, defensive end John Henry Daley and athlete Salesi Moa.

As for Whittingham’s legacy with Utah fans, both Bell and Rognon said the longtime coach’s move to Michigan didn’t change their opinion of him.

“No, not at all,” Rognon said. “Whittingham did so much for the program. I can’t blame him. I think it was an odd situation. I don’t think he was ready to leave, and so I don’t blame him for coaching. A place like Michigan comes calling, and you can’t say no.”

Added Bell regarding Whittingham: “He did a lot of great things here, so it’s sad to see him move on, but hope he does great things at Michigan.”

Incidentally, 1,600 miles away and hours before Scalley and the Utes met with fans on the practice field, Whittingham was coaching his first-ever spring game at the Big House at Michigan — a 7-6 win for the Maize team over the Blue team.

On Saturday in Salt Lake City, though, it was clear that Utah fans have turned the page and are all-in on the Scalley era.

“I’m very excited. He brings a winning culture,” Bell said. “He’s been here a long time, so he’s ready to win some games.”

The ongoing clash between Utah state leaders and the state’s highest court has boiled over into a whole new realm while exposing previously investigated and dismissed allegations that one of the court’s justices had an affair with an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the state’s high-profile redistricting lawsuit. 

The day after one of the state’s most popular news sites, KSL.com, broke the news that Gov. Spencer Cox and the state’s top Republican legislative leaders said they would be launching an independent investigation into Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen, the Utah Supreme Court issued a statement saying documents detailing the allegations against her were confidential and “inappropriately released to the public.” 

The investigator who wrote the report on the preliminary investigation into Hagen ultimately recommended that the Judicial Conduct Commission dismiss the allegations against her for “insufficient evidence of judicial misconduct,” while also concluding that an allegation that Hagen inappropriately paid her ex-husband $40,000 to keep quiet was “unfounded.” 

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“As the sole entity authorized to investigate allegations of misconduct against a judge, the Judicial Conduct Commission received the allegations in their entirety and conducted an independent investigation,” the Utah Supreme Court said in a statement issued Friday. “The Judicial Conduct Commission completed their investigation in accordance with their constitutional and statutory authority and dismissed the complaint against Justice Hagen.”

Under Utah law, complaints to the Judicial Conduct Commission and its proceedings are confidential, the Utah Supreme Court said. 

“Despite their protected status, records of the Judicial Conduct Commission were inappropriately released to the public. The Judiciary does not have access to those records and did not release them. The Judicial Conduct Commission has indicated that they did not release them. The inappropriate release of these materials prompted renewed questioning about allegations that were previously investigated and dismissed in accordance with the process established by the Utah Constitution.”

In response to a public records request for the documents provided to KSL, the chief of staff for the Utah House of Representatives provided the same documents — including the report of the preliminary investigation into Hagen — to Utah News Dispatch on Friday morning. 

A House spokesperson did not respond to a question asking how the House came to be in possession of the complaint and the report of the preliminary investigation of Hagen. 

In response to the Utah Supreme Court’s statement saying the records were “inappropriately” released, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, issued a statement saying: “We followed the statute in releasing these records.” 

Allegations of this nature, especially involving public officials, must be examined with transparency and accountability to establish the facts and to maintain public confidence.

– Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President Stuart Adams

The Judicial Conduct Commission is an independent body made up of two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the House speaker, two members of the Senate appointed by the Senate president, three people appointed by the governor, two members of the Utah State Bar, and two judges appointed by the Utah Supreme Court. That commission ultimately dismissed the complaint against Hagen, as recommended by the investigator. 

In a joint statement, Gov. Spencer Cox, Schultz, and Senate President Stuart Adams said the media reports about Hagen “and an attorney who has argued high-profile cases before the Court raise serious questions and concerns.” 

That attorney is David Reymann, who has represented the League of Women Voters and other plaintiffs in the anti-gerrymandering lawsuit that resulted in a court-ordered congressional map that Republican state leaders, especially Schultz and Adams, have vehemently fought and criticized. 

Reymann has also worked on behalf of news outlets and the state’s media coalition, including Utah News Dispatch.

In response to a request for comment Thursday, Reymann told Utah News Dispatch that “the allegations are false.” 

Cox, Schultz and Adams, in their statement, said the “initial review by the Judicial Conduct Commission and the Court left important questions unresolved.”

“Allegations of this nature, especially involving public officials, must be examined with transparency and accountability to establish the facts and to maintain public confidence,” they said.

The governor, House speaker and Senate president announced they will “move forward with an independent investigation to ensure the facts are fully examined.” 

“This process will be conducted objectively and thoroughly, because maintaining trust in our institutions is essential,” they said. 

The release of the preliminary investigation — which was spurred by a complaint filed Dec. 27, 2025 on allegations that stem from Hagen’s marital problems and divorce in November 2025, according to the report — comes months ahead of Hagen’s retention election this fall.

Justice Hagen’s response

In a Jan. 5 letter to the Judicial Conduct Commission after she learned days prior that Utah Supreme Court Justice Matthew Durrant had received an email containing the accusations against her, Hagen denied them. 

“The insinuation that I was ethically compromised while carrying out my official duties is patently false,” she wrote in the letter. She also attached a declaration under penalty of perjury detailing relevant facts and a signed declaration from her adult son affirming that she has consistently denied that a “sexual affair” occurred. 

“While my ex-husband’s accusations of adultery are false and the intimate details of my failed marriage have nothing to do with my judicial duties or my strict adherence to the Code of Judicial Conduct, I have chosen to self-report these allegations to the Commission to officially refute them under oath,” Hagen wrote in that letter. 

I took prompt, prudent, and transparent steps in response to the allegations made by my ex-husband, including reporting them myself to the Judicial Conduct Commission and submitting a sworn statement. The Judicial Conduct Commission recently reviewed the matter, dismissed the complaint, and closed the case. I remain committed to upholding the highest standards of judicial ethics, integrity, and impartiality.”

– Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen

“I had no relationship of any kind with the attorney in question while he had cases pending before me,” she added. “Over twenty years ago, he was a close personal friend of mine, but we had very little interaction in the years leading up to my appointment to the Court. After my appointment, I discontinued even that minimal contact because I was aware that he was an attorney in the (redistricting case) that was likely to come before the Court, and I wanted to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.” 

Hagen noted that her “last involvement” in the redistricting case was in October 2024, when she authored the court’s unanimous opinion upholding a district court decision voiding Amendment D, a proposed constitutional amendment tied to the redistricting lawsuit that, if approved by voters, would have solidified the Legislature’s ability to change ballot initiatives. 

“In the spring of 2025, I was struggling with the breakdown of my thirty-year marriage. I reconnected with a number of old friends, including the attorney in question, for emotional support during this difficult time,” she wrote. “In light of our renewed friendship, I voluntarily recused (myself) from all further cases in which the attorney appeared, including a subsequent petition in the (redistricting case).”

Hagen also wrote that about six months ago she disclosed these circumstances to her court colleagues, consulted the court’s attorney “to ensure compliance with my ethical obligations, and reported my ex-husband’s behavior to the court security director.” 

“The insinuation that I was ethically compromised while carrying out my official duties is patently false,” she wrote. “I appreciate having this opportunity to set the record straight.” 

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The Utah Supreme Court’s statement issued Friday also noted the timeline of Hagen’s recusals and that her ex-husband’s allegations “post date her involvement” in the redistricting case. 

The Supreme Court also issued a statement from Hagen, in which she said “I never operated under a conflict of interest while performing my judicial duties” and noted that she recused herself from all cases involving Reymann in May 2025. 

“I took prompt, prudent, and transparent steps in response to the allegations made by my ex-husband, including reporting them myself to the Judicial Conduct Commission and submitting a sworn statement,” she said. “The Judicial Conduct Commission recently reviewed the matter, dismissed the complaint, and closed the case. I remain committed to upholding the highest standards of judicial ethics, integrity, and impartiality.”

The allegations

Hagen’s ex-husband Tobin Hagen did not file the complaint against her. Rather, it was submitted by another attorney, Michael Worley — who previously applied for a clerkship for Hagen but ultimately didn’t accept to instead work for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights.

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Worley, in the email reporting the accusations to Durrant, said after he didn’t accept the clerkship with Hagen, he kept in touch with her and her husband, and he interacted with Tobin Hagen on social media. 

Worley told Durrant that he was on Facebook on Dec. 26, 2025 when he saw a post that indicated Tobin Hagen and Diana Hagen had gotten divorced, so he reached out through Facebook messenger to Tobin Hagen to offer his support. 

Worley included a screenshot of a lengthy message he received from Tobin Hagen in response, in which Tobin Hagen alleged his daughter “found some inappropriate texts” between Diana Hagen and Reymann, he accused her of cheating, and he said “she paid me $40,000 to keep quiet” as part of a nondisclosure agreement in the divorce settlement. 

In his email to Durrant, Worley said he had “no knowledge about whether Tobin’s allegations are true,” but he felt an ethical obligation to report them in case they were. 

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In the report on the Judicial Conduct Commission’s preliminary investigation into Hagen, the investigator wrote that based on an interview with Tobin Hagen on Jan. 15, 2025, “Tobin did not approve of this complaint being submitted to the JCC but acknowledged” that he had sent the message to Worley. 

“Tobin’s belief that Justice Hagen had an extramarital affair with David Reymann is based on the totality of the circumstances,” the report says, but it also notes “Tobin has no direct evidence that such an affair occured.” 

In that interview, Tobin Hagen told the investigator that their marriage was “deteriorating” in 2024, and that starting in early 2025, Diana Hagen and Reymann would meet for drinks or lunch, sometimes with other people present, and that Diana Hagen was “up front about these meetings.” However, Tobin Hagen said that he later discovered “one such meetup was concealed from him.” 

The investigator also wrote that Tobin Hagen said that in February 2025 he “became aware that Justice Hagen and Reymann were exchanging inappropriate text messages” that “were initially silly and then became more suggestive.” 

Tobin Hagen, however, declined to share copies of the text messages due to a non-disparagement agreement that was signed as part of their divorce, the investigator wrote. He described the text messages as “very flirtatious” with repeated use of the “kissy face emoji” and “love emoji.”  

Tobin Hagen told the investigator, according to the report, that when he confronted Diana Hagen about “the suspicion that she had an affair with Reymann,” she “denied the allegation but noted her 25-year friendship” with him and argued that she could talk with him “whenever she wanted.” 

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The investigator also wrote in the report that Tobin Hagen said after Diana Hagen found out he had told a friend about one of her text messages to Reymann, she became “very upset and commented that Tobin was putting her job as a Utah Supreme Court justice in jeopardy.” 

When asked about the allegation that Diana Hagen paid Tobin Hagen $40,000 to “keep quiet publicly,” Tobin clarified to the investigator that “as part of the divorce settlement, Justice Hagen wanted Tobin to sign a non-disparagement agreement (NDA), which Tobin was unwilling to do. Justice Hagen offered to contribute $40,000 toward taxes and fees associated with paying off the family home in exchange for Tobin signing the NDA. Tobin agreed.”

The investigator concluded that the allegation that Diana Hagen “committed judicial misconduct related to the $40,000 mentioned in the complaint is unfounded.”

“The language in the complaint implies Justice Hagen attempted to bride (sic) Tobin or something similarly untoward. This is inaccurate,” the investigator wrote. “The $40,000 was a negotiated element of the divorce agreement. This is not indicative of judicial misconduct.” 

Tobin Hagen also told the investigator that he confronted Reymann about having an affair with Hagen, which he said Reymann denied, but “acknowledged regular contact over the 25-year friendship with Justice Hagen.”

While Tobin Hagen wrote in the Facebook message that Worley reported to the Judicial Conduct Commission and Durrant that Diana Hagen “confessed” to the affair, the signed declaration from her son refutes that claim, the investigator wrote. 

Court documents confirm Diana Hagen filed for divorce from Tobin Hagen in August 2025. The settlement agreement was signed on Oct. 23 2025 “and makes no mention of infidelity,” according to the investigator’s report. 

Ultimately, the investigator concluded in the report that “there is insufficient evidence to support an allegation that Justice Hagen engaged in an extramarital affair. Furthermore, there is conflicting guidance on whether such infidelity by a judge in and of itself warrants discipline.” 

The allegations as presented in the complaint are speculative, overstated, and misleading. There is very little credibility to this complaint.”

– Judicial Conduct Commission investigator

“Additional investigative steps could be taken to further investigate the allegation of infidelity,” the investigator wrote in the report, listing examples like interviewing Diana Hagen’s two adult children, Reymann and his wife, and issuing a subpoena for the text messages. “However, such steps would be intrusive and potentially embarrassing for those involved.”

The investigator wrote that “since the allegation of infidelity is based on speculation, it would not be prudent nor fair to Justice Hagen or Reymann for JCC staff to attempt to take any of these investigative steps without JCC approving a full investigation into this complaint.”

The investigator also wrote there is “insufficient evidence” to support the allegation that Justice Hagen failed to properly recuse herself from the redistricting case or that her “impartiality has been compromised.” 

“Overall, the information provided by Tobin during the interview is drastically different than what is alleged in the complainant,” the investigator wrote. “The allegations as presented in the complaint are speculative, overstated, and misleading. There is very little credibility to this complaint.” 

The investigator ultimately recommended the JCC dismiss the allegations for “insufficient evidence of judicial misconduct.” 

Democrats raise concerns about separation of powers; Bar weighs in

In response to the KSL story published Thursday detailing the allegations against Diana Hagen, Utah House and Senate Democrats issued a statement saying they “trust the work of the Judicial Conduct Commission and the process it followed as it previously investigated and addressed this matter.”

“Efforts by the Legislature to investigate a member of the judiciary raise significant concerns over the separation of powers,” House and Senate Democrats said. “This is part of a broader pattern of overstepping judicial independence and sets an incredibly dangerous precedent.”

The Utah State Bar also issued a statement saying that while it “has no role or involvement with the operation of the Judicial Conduct Commission …  the Bar shares the Utah Supreme Court’s concerns regarding the release of confidential and statutorily protected JCC records.”

“We appreciate the important function of the JCC and trust that they conduct their investigations and make findings with careful and thorough consideration,” the Bar said. “We affirm the Court’s statement that the JCC is the sole entity established by the Utah Constitution with the specific authority to ‘investigate and conduct confidential hearings regarding complaints against any justice or judge.’”

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Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and top state lawmakers ordered an independent investigation Friday into a state Supreme Court justice over allegations she had an unethical relationship with an attorney who worked on a high-stakes redistricting case.

Justice Diana Hagen, who was appointed by Cox, stands accused by her ex-husband of sending what he described as “inappropriate” text messages to an attorney who helped challenge a Republican-friendly map that maintained four red congressional seats in Utah. Hagen joined a unanimous decision to toss out Republicans’ redistricting plan in July 2024, a ruling that led to one of the seats flipping blue in time for the 2026 midterms.

The revelation of a possible relationship between Hagen and the attorney, David Reymann, who worked on behalf of progressive voting rights groups in the case, stemmed from a complaint that a lawyer for Hagen’s husband submitted to Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the Judicial Conduct Commission, according to local outlet KSL.

Hagen and Reymann have both denied the allegations. Fox News Digital reached out to a Utah Supreme Court representative and Reymann for comment.

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Utah Governor Spencer Cox welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden before he spoke at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on August 10, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. President Biden was celebrating the first anniversary of the PACT Act.  (George Frey/Getty Images)

The Judicial Conduct Commission, described on its website as an independent body comprising several state lawmakers, judges and members of the public, conducted a preliminary investigation based on the complaint and chose not to pursue the matter further, the outlet reported. Fox News Digital reached out to the Judicial Conduct Commission for comment.

The Utah Supreme Court issued a public statement on behalf of Hagen Friday afternoon in which she said she never had a conflict of interest.

Justice Diana Hagen in her official Utah Supreme Court headshot.  (Utah State Courts)

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“My last involvement in the redistricting case was October 2024,” Hagen said. “I voluntarily recused myself from all cases involving Mr. Reymann in May 2025, and my recusal was reflected in the Court’s September 15, 2025 opinion in League of Women Voters. I took prompt, prudent, and transparent steps in response to the allegations made by my ex-husband, including reporting them myself to the Judicial Conduct Commission and submitting a sworn statement. The Judicial Conduct Commission recently reviewed the matter, dismissed the complaint, and closed the case. I remain committed to upholding the highest standards of judicial ethics, integrity, and impartiality.”

The complaint and interviews conducted by the Judicial Conduct Commission found that Hagen and her husband began discussing divorce in September 2024, had interacted together with Reymann toward the end of that year and that Hagen did not meet one-on-one with Reymann until 2025, according to KSL.

Salt Lake City, Utah, The Scott M. Matheson Courthouse, which houses the Utah Supreme Court and various lower courts.  (Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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Cox, along with Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz, who joined the governor in launching the new investigation, said in a joint statement that more “transparency” was needed on the matter, signaling that the public’s trust in the state’s highest court was at stake, especially after a polarizing decision in a redistricting case set to affect the midterms.

“An initial review by the Judicial Conduct Commission and the court left important questions unresolved,” they said. “Allegations of this nature, especially involving public officials, must be examined with transparency and accountability to establish the facts and to maintain public confidence.”