On Monday, the Republican-sponsored bill to pack the Utah Supreme Court by expanding it from five justices to seven moved to the House after being passed by the Senate, but then something odd happened.
⏰ Tick Tock
19 days - Signature deadline for ballot initiative seeking to repeal Prop. 4 (2/15/2026)
38 days - The final day of the 2026 Utah Legislature (3/6/2026)
41 days - First day congressional candidates can file to run for the 2026 election. (3/9/2026)
49 days - Neighborhood caucus night. (3/17/2026)
74 days - Utah Forward Party nominating convention (4/11/2026)
88 days - Utah State Republican and Democratic State Party nominating conventions (4/25/2026)
147 days - Utah's 2026 primary election (6/23/2026)
280 days - 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026)
1,015 days - 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028)
[Update: On Tuesday morning, the Utah House lifted SB134 from the House Business, Labor and Commerce Committee, moving it to the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee. Speaker Schultz does not sit on that committee.]
Normally, when a bill crosses chambers, it hits the House Rules Committee, then lands in a subject-matter committee. In this case, that would be the House Judiciary Committee. In the Senate, SB134 went to Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, as you’d expect.
Monday SB134 was sent to the Rules Committee then took a detour.
Rules Chair Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, made a floor motion to “lift” the bill out of Rules and send it straight to a standing committee. It’s not standard, but it’s a tool leadership uses a few times each session.
Instead of Judiciary, Teuscher steered SB134 to House Business, Labor and Commerce.
Why? Likely for leverage.
This wasn’t about speed. Judiciary next meets Wednesday; Business and Labor’s earliest slot is Friday.
Business and Labor might be a friendlier arena, or perhaps House GOP leadership still needs to whip votes to secure the 2/3 majority needed in the House for the bill to go into effect immediately if it passes and is signed by the governor. But there’s little sign of pushback from the House GOP caucus over the legislation.
The tell is committee membership: Business and Labor is one of the few panels where Speaker Mike Schultz—a vocal champion of expanding the Utah Supreme Court—has a seat.
Speakers rarely drop into committee to work a bill. Since taking the gavel in 2023, Schultz has appeared at only five Business and Labor hearings.
One of those came in 2024 for HB257, the transgender “bathroom bill.” He skipped the other items and arrived for that debate and vote—not because his vote was needed (Republicans outnumber Democrats 14–2 on the panel), but to plant a flag.
That was a Schultz priority then. Court expansion is a Schultz priority now. If he shows for SB134 in Business and Labor, it’s a signal to the caucus—and to the rest of the judiciary—about where this is headed.