Retention election · Nov 3, 2026
Susan H. Eisenman
Third District Juvenile Court
JPECMeets or exceeds standardsWhat this court does
Handles cases involving minors in Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties: delinquency, abuse and neglect, and parental-rights cases.
On every Salt Lake County ballot, including Taylorsville. 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 SUSAN HEATHER EISENMAN be retained in the office of Judge of the Juvenile Court of the Third Juvenile Court District?” · On every Salt Lake County ballot, including Taylorsville.
100% of survey respondents recommend Judge Eisenman for retention.
JPEC survey scores (1–5 scale; JPEC reports list 3.6 as the minimum standard)
| Legal ability | 4.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Integrity & temperament | 4.8 | |
| Administrative skills | 4.8 | |
| Procedural fairness | 4.8 |
Compared with peers (JPEC)
- Consistent with peers: Legal Ability, Integrity & Judicial Temperament, Administrative Skills, Procedural Fairness
What survey respondents and observers said (JPEC summary)
- Respondents appreciate the judge’s judicial excellence, citing her legal expertise, dedication, and thoroughness.
- Both respondents and observers admire her procedural fairness, particularly her sensitive, caring interactions with youth and willingness to hear participants out.
- Some respondents say the judge can be impatient.
- All four observers report confidence that they would be treated fairly if they were to appear in Judge Eisenman’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)
Presiding Judge Susan H. Eisenman was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in July 2017 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. She serves Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele Counties. Judge Eisenman graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with a B.A. in English in 1990, and received a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1994. She worked as a parental defender, guardian ad litem, and as an assistant attorney general for the child protection division of the Utah Attorney General's office. In 2013, she was promoted to Division Director of the State Agency Counsel Division. Judge Eisenman has served as Presiding Judge since 2023, and as a member of the Judicial Council since 2024.
Sources
About this office: Third District Juvenile Court judge
A judge in the court for young people and families, who handles offenses by minors, child abuse and neglect cases, and other child-welfare matters in Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties.
- Role
- Juvenile court judge, Third Judicial District (9 judges)
- Hours
- Full-time
- Pay
- $224,750
- Typical week
- Detention and delinquency hearings, child-welfare review hearings, rulings; work with caseworkers, guardians ad litem and probation
Responsibilities and powers
- Original jurisdiction over felonies, misdemeanors, infractions and ordinance violations committed by a child, and in some cases by young adults for offenses committed before 18, plus child-welfare findings and magistrate functions when a minor is tried as an adult (Utah Code 78A-6-103).
- The Third Judicial District has nine juvenile court judges (78A-1-104).
A typical week [INFERRED from jurisdiction]
- Back-to-back short hearings: detention reviews, delinquency adjudications and dispositions, and recurring review hearings in abuse and neglect cases, often with the same families over months or years.
Time commitment
- Full-time.
Staff and budget
- Judicial assistants and court staff; juvenile probation officers are part of the court system [INFERRED].
Pay
- $224,750 for FY2027 (100% of the District Court salary under 67-8-2).