Utah Court of Appeals Judge Michele M. Christiansen Forster faces a retention vote on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The nonpartisan race asks voters a single question: whether to retain Christiansen Forster on the bench. She has served on the Court of Appeals since June 2010, when Gov. Gary Herbert appointed her, according to the Utah Courts website. She previously served as a judge on the Utah Third District Court starting in May 2007, also according to the Utah Courts website.

In a retention race, voters decide whether to keep a sitting judge. A "yes" vote retains. A "no" vote removes. Christiansen Forster is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Utah Court of Appeals Judge (retention)
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Lawrence University; juris doctor, University of Utah (1995)

Experience and public service

Christiansen Forster built a career across private practice, federal prosecution and state government before joining the bench.

After earning her law degree, she worked as an attorney at Parsons Behle & Latimer from 1995 to 1998, according to the Utah Courts website. She then spent nearly seven years as an assistant United States attorney in the District of Utah, from March 1998 to January 2005.

She served as executive director of the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice from January 2005 to July 2006. She then became general counsel in the Office of Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. from July 2006 to May 2007.

She joined the Third District Court in May 2007. She served there until Gov. Herbert elevated her to the Court of Appeals in June 2010.

She also clerked for the Honorable Tena Campbell, according to BallotReady profile data. She serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, according to the law school's faculty directory.

Editor's note: This profile was built from publicly available records, including the Utah Courts judicial biography and BallotReady election data.