Millcreek voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to retain Ryan M. Harris as a judge on the Utah Court of Appeals. Harris serves as presiding judge of the court, according to his judicial biography on the Utah Courts website.

The question appears on ballots as a nonpartisan yes-or-no retention vote, according to BallotReady. Because the race is a retention question, there is no opposing candidate; voters mark "yes" to keep Harris or "no" to remove him. Harris has been certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady.

Candidate information

  • Name: Ryan M. Harris
  • Office: Utah Court of Appeals (presiding judge)
  • Education: Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University (1995); J.D. from Stanford University (1998)

Experience and public service

Harris began his legal career as a judicial clerk for Judge Stephen H. Anderson at the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 1998, according to his Utah Courts biography. He then practiced law at the firm Jones, Waldo, Holbrook & McDonough.

Harris moved to the bench in 2011. He served as a small claims judge at the Utah Small Claims Court that year, according to his judicial biography. He also served as a District 3 judge on the Utah District Court from 2011 to 2017, according to BallotReady.

Harris joined the Utah Court of Appeals in 2017 and has served there since, according to BallotReady. He rose to lead the court as presiding judge.

While serving as a trial court judge, Harris twice received the Judicial Excellence Award from the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar, according to his judicial biography. He is a past chairperson of that section.

Harris has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Utah, according to BallotReady.

Endorsements

Harris has received an endorsement from Governing Group, according to BallotReady, which noted the endorsement was claimed by the endorser.

  • Governing Group

This profile was compiled from Harris's judicial biography and BallotReady data. The Millcreek Times has published similar profiles for other judges facing retention votes, including Judge Gregory Orme and Judge Coral Sanchez.