Davis County Justice Court Judge John Carl Ynchausti faces a retention vote on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Voters will decide whether to keep Ynchausti on the bench in a nonpartisan, yes-or-no vote.

Ynchausti has served as a Davis County justice court judge since 2016. Before his appointment, he spent almost 20 years as a prosecutor, according to a 2016 Utah Courts announcement. He previously worked as an attorney and prosecutor for Bountiful City, according to his BallotReady profile.

Candidate information

  • Name: John Carl Ynchausti
  • Office: Davis County Justice Court Judge
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in history and Italian from the University of Utah; J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law
  • Bar admissions: Licensed to practice law in Utah and Idaho, according to his Utah Courts biography

Experience and public service

His career spans three areas: prosecution, civil law and the bench. At the time of his 2016 appointment, Ynchausti had served as a prosecutor for almost 20 years, according to Utah Courts. He also worked as an attorney for Bountiful City and served as a law clerk for Idaho Fifth District Judge James J. May, per BallotReady.

As a civil practitioner, Ynchausti worked in adoption, employment law, family law and general litigation, according to his Utah Courts biography. He has trained prosecutors locally and nationally through the National District Attorney's Association.

Beyond the courtroom, Ynchausti has served on several Utah State Bar committees, worked as a mediator for the Utah Equal Employment Opportunity Anti-Discrimination Division and is a member of the Rex E. Lee American Inn of Court. He has also served as an instructor for the Davis County Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention Team Program and as a court-appointed patient representative in civil commitment cases at Second District Court.

At the University of Utah, Ynchausti was honored by the College of Humanities as an outstanding undergraduate and by the Utah Historical Society as its outstanding history student. At the University of Idaho College of Law, he received the Langroise Scholarship, served as a senior class member of the Conduct Review Board, a student representative of the Tenure Review Committee and treasurer of Delta Theta Phi.

Outside the law, Ynchausti is an ice hockey player who has served as the USA Hockey/Utah Amateur Hockey Association Safe Sport coordinator, according to his Utah Courts biography.

Recognition

Ynchausti received the Outstanding Justice Court Judge Award at the 2025 Spring Justice Court Judges Conference in St. George, according to the Davis County Commissioners' DC Connector newsletter.

This profile was built from publicly available sources, including the Utah Courts official biography, Utah Courts news releases, BallotReady profile data and the Davis County Commissioners' newsletter.

The next general election is Nov. 3, 2026.