Retention election · Nov 3, 2026
George F. Vo-Duc
Midvale City Justice Court
JPECMeets or exceeds standardsWhat this court does
A local court for misdemeanors, traffic and parking cases, small claims and city or county ordinance violations.
Only on ballots in the city this court serves; not on Taylorsville ballots. Vote Yes to keep this judge for 6 more years, or No to remove. More Yes than No votes retains the judge.
The evaluation below is JPEC's official evaluation, quoted and summarized from its report. This guide does not rate judges.
Details: scores, feedback, standards, sources
Ballot question: “Shall GEORGE FREDERICK VO-DUC be retained in the office of Judge of the Midvale City Justice Court?” · Only on ballots in Midvale (not on Taylorsville ballots).
JPEC does not conduct surveys for part-time judges because the sample size is too small.
Other standards (certified by the courts / Judicial Conduct Commission)
- Judicial Education: Pass
- Judicial Time Standard: Pass
- Judicial Discipline: Pass
- Fitness for Office: Pass
Biography (from JPEC)
Judge George F. Vo-Duc was appointed to the Midvale City Justice Court in January 2017. Judge Vo-Duc is a veteran of the United States Navy and a graduate of the University of Utah, where he received a Bachelor of Philosophy in 1996 and a Juris Doctor in 2001. Prior to appointment, Judge Vo-Duc worked as a Deputy District Attorney for Salt Lake County for 15 years, where he prosecuted narcotics, gang, special victim, and violent felony cases.
Justice court judges are appointed by the city or county executive with the local council's consent (Utah Code 78A-7-202), not by the governor.
Sources
About this office: Justice Court judge
A local judge, appointed by a city or county, who handles class B and C misdemeanors, traffic tickets, city ordinance violations, and small claims.
- Role
- City or county justice court judge
- Hours
- Either; set by the city or county based on caseload
- Pay
- $182,210 (Salt Lake County Justice Court); state law sets 70–90% of a District judge's salary for full-time judges
- Typical week
- High-volume calendars: arraignments, traffic, DUI and domestic cases, small-claims trials, often including evening court
Responsibilities and powers
- Original jurisdiction over class B and C misdemeanors, ordinance violations and infractions committed in its territory by adults, and certain traffic and wildlife offenses by minors (Utah Code 78A-7-106).
- Appointed by the city or county executive with the council's consent (78A-7-202); six-year terms, then retention elections in the city or county (78A-7-203).
- Qualifications: U.S. citizen, at least 25, a Utah resident for three years; since May 3, 2023, new judges need a law degree (78A-7-201).
- Taylorsville note: Taylorsville's justice court was combined with West Jordan's municipal justice court, in effect by January 2026. No Taylorsville justice court judge is on the 2026 ballot. The Alta judge appears on every county ballot because Alta is a town (78A-7-203(2)(a)).
A typical week [INFERRED from jurisdiction]
- Many short hearings a day: arraignments, pleas, sentencing and reviews for traffic, DUI, retail theft and domestic cases; small-claims trials. Some courts hold evening sessions.
Time commitment
- Full-time or part-time. The State Court Administrator measures a part-time judge's caseload as a percentage of a full-time judge's caseload, and pay is prorated by that percentage (78A-7-206).
Staff and budget
- Court clerks employed by the city or county; budgets come from the city or county general fund [INFERRED].
Pay
- $182,210 for the Salt Lake County Justice Court judge (2026 SLCo salary schedule, from the guide's pay compilation). By law a full-time justice court judge earns 70%–90% of a District judge's salary (FY2027: $157,325–$202,275 [COMPUTED]) (78A-7-206).