Retention election · Nov 3, 2026
Jojo Liu
Salt Lake City Municipal 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 JOJO C. LIU be retained in the office of Judge of the Salt Lake City Municipal Justice Court?” · Only on ballots in Salt Lake City (not on Taylorsville ballots).
83% of survey respondents recommend Judge Liu for retention
JPEC survey scores (1–5 scale; JPEC reports list 3.6 as the minimum standard)
| Legal ability | 3.8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Integrity & temperament | 4.4 | |
| Administrative skills | 4.4 | |
| Procedural fairness | 4.4 |
Compared with peers (JPEC)
- Consistent with peers: Legal Ability, Integrity & Judicial Temperament, Administrative Skills, Procedural Fairness
What survey respondents and observers said (JPEC summary)
- Both respondents and courtroom observers admire Judge Liu’s patient and respectful demeanor, describing her as professional and caring.
- Both groups underscore her preparedness in court.
- Both appreciate her willingness to let participants express themselves and be heard.
- Survey results and some comments indicate that the judge should strengthen her legal skills, particularly in following, or explaining departures from, legal precedent.
- All four observers report confidence that they would be treated fairly if they were to appear in Judge Liu’s court.
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 Jojo Liu was appointed to the Salt Lake City Justice Court by Mayor Erin Mendenhall in 2022. Prior to her appointment, Judge Liu served as Director of Salt Lake County’s Office of Criminal Justice Initiatives and Director of the Salt Lake County Criminal Justice Advisory Council. Before joining Salt Lake County, she served as the Assistant Director of the Utah Indigent Defense Commission. From 2007 to 2016, Judge Liu was a Clinical Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. From 2002 to 2007, she practiced law at Morrison and Foerster, where she maintained a civil litigation practice and later specialized in white-collar defense, with a focus on matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Judge Liu began her legal career as a Skadden Fellow at Legal Services for Children in New York City. Judge Liu graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1996 and earned her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2000, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
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).