Davis County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to retain Second District Juvenile Court Judge Robert G. Neill.

Neill has served on the bench since October 2016. Gov. Gary R. Herbert appointed him to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge J. Mark Andrus, according to the Utah Courts website.

In a nonpartisan retention election, no challenger appears on the ballot. Voters mark "yes" or "no" on whether to keep the judge in office. The Second District Juvenile Court covers Davis, Morgan and Weber counties, meaning voters across all three counties will see Neill's name on the ballot.

Neill is one of several judges facing retention votes in the area. Second District Court Judge Jason Nelson also appears on the Nov. 3 ballot, as covered in a separate profile.

Second District Court Judge Michael Rawson faces the same question, as covered in his retention profile.

Utah Court of Appeals Judge Gregory Orme is also up for retention on the same ballot.

Candidate information

  • Name: Robert G. Neill
  • Office: Utah Juvenile Court Judge, District 2
  • Appointed: October 2016 by Gov. Gary R. Herbert
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Brigham Young University; J.D., University of Utah
  • Jurisdiction: Davis, Morgan and Weber counties

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Neill worked at the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. He served as unit chief in the Justice Division from 1998 to 2016, according to the Deseret News.

Neill also served as a juvenile court specific special victims prosecutor in that office, according to the Utah Courts website. That role focused on cases involving crimes against children and other vulnerable populations within the juvenile court system.

On the issues

The Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission publishes evaluations of judges standing for retention. Those evaluations serve as a resource for voters weighing whether to retain a judge. Voters can access the commission's reports online ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

This profile was compiled from publicly available sources, including the Utah Courts website, Deseret News reporting and public election records.