Diana Hagen built one of the most closely watched judicial careers in modern Utah. She went from theater student to prosecutor, then to the Utah Court of Appeals, and finally to the state’s highest court. Her time as Justice Diana Hagen produced landmark rulings, a historic female majority, and in the end a resignation that reshaped the court. Here is her full story.
Biography Table
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Diana Hagen |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession/Occupation | Attorney, Federal Prosecutor, Appellate Judge, Supreme Court Justice |
| Years Active | 1998 – 2026 |
| Education | University of Utah (Speech Communication); S.J. Quinney College of Law, J.D. (1998) |
| Genre/Field | Law, Appellate Practice, Judiciary |
| Spouse/Partner | Previously married for about 30 years (divorced) |
| Children | Yes |
| Notable Works | Utah Court of Appeals (2017–2022); Utah Supreme Court (2022–2026); 2024 ballot initiative ruling |
| Awards/Honors | Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award; Order of the Coif |
Who Is Diana Hagen?
Diana Hagen is a former Utah Supreme Court Justice who served from 2022 until she stepped down on May 8, 2026. Gov. Spencer J. Cox appointed her, and her confirmation helped give Utah’s highest court a female majority for the first time in its history.
Before reaching the top court, she spent almost five years on the Utah Court of Appeals. Before that, she was a federal prosecutor and a private practice attorney. Her career shows a steady climb through nearly every level of appellate law.
To most Utahns, though, she is now best known for two things. The first is her role in the court’s 2024 ruling on ballot initiatives. The second is the heavy pressure that came before her resignation. Both shaped how the public sees her legacy.
Early Life and Education
From Theater to the Courtroom
Hagen did not plan to become a lawyer. She started college as an acting major and was drawn to drama and theater from an early age. Her mother has said she was performing from around age 3.
During her first college year in Los Angeles, she realized the acting path was uncertain. She transferred to the University of Utah, often called “the U,” and switched to speech communication. That move kept her love of performance but pointed it in a new direction.
A free speech class changed everything. She fell in love with law through that course and the debate it sparked. She later took the LSAT almost on a whim, and it opened the door to law school.
Her theater background did not go to waste. Many colleagues have pointed to her strong courtroom presence, and it is easy to see where it came from. In my experience reading appellate oral arguments, judges with speech training tend to ask sharper, clearer questions. Hagen fit that pattern well.
Law School at S.J. Quinney
Hagen earned her law degree from the S.J. Quinney College of Law and graduated in 1998. She was a standout student throughout.
Her law school record included:
- Membership in the Order of the Coif, an honor for top graduates
- A seat on the Utah Law Review editorial board
- A place on the National Moot Court Team
She also graduated with no student loans, thanks to a scholarship. She has said that freedom from student debt gave her career flexibility later. It let her take public service jobs that paid less than private firms.
Legal Career Before the Supreme Court
Clerkship and Private Practice
After graduation, Hagen clerked for U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell. A federal clerkship is one of the best training grounds for future appellate judges. It teaches you how decisions are actually written.
She then joined the firm Parr Brown Gee & Loveless, where she had worked during her first law school summer. She stayed in private practice for nearly ten years. Her work there included corporate cases and media law practice.
Prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office
Around 2010, Hagen made a bold move. She left the firm for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, taking roughly a 30% pay cut. She joined the appellate section as a prosecutor.
She rose quickly. She was promoted to Appellate Chief and later served as First Assistant, one of the top roles in the office. This was where her appellate work truly took off.
This part of her professional background matters. It shows a lawyer who chose public service over salary. It also gave her deep experience with criminal appeals, which make up a large share of any appellate court’s docket.
| Period | Role |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Graduated, S.J. Quinney College of Law |
| After 1998 | Law clerk to U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell |
| ~2001 – ~2010 | Attorney, Parr Brown Gee & Loveless |
| ~2010 – 2017 | U.S. Attorney’s Office (Appellate Chief, First Assistant) |
| 2017 – 2022 | Judge, Utah Court of Appeals |
| 2022 – 2026 | Justice, Utah Supreme Court |
Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Appointment
Utah Court of Appeals
Hagen was nominated to the Utah Court of Appeals in 2016 and took her seat in 2017. She served there for almost five years. The court hears many of the state’s appeals before they reach the top court.
Her time on the appeals court earned her a reputation for clear, careful opinions. That record made her a natural candidate when a Supreme Court seat opened.
Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen
Gov. Cox named her to the Utah Supreme Court in March 2022. The Utah Senate gave legislative confirmation on May 11, 2022, and she took her place on the top court shortly after.
Her appointment was historic. With Hagen and Jill Pohlman, who also joined in 2022, the court had its first majority-female bench. That happened 126 years after statehood. At one point, women held a clear majority of the five seats.
Both of her judicial appointments came from Republican governors. That fact often comes up in political debates about her rulings, which we cover below.
Diana Hagen Republican or Democrat?
There is no public record of Diana Hagen identifying as a Republican or a Democrat. Utah judges are not elected on party tickets. They are appointed by the governor, confirmed by the Senate, and then face nonpartisan retention votes.
What is known is that Republican governors appointed her to both courts. Gov. Gary Herbert chose her for the Court of Appeals, and Gov. Cox chose her for the Supreme Court.
Even so, some Republican leaders became strongly critical of her later in her career. That criticism grew mostly from rulings on ballot initiatives and redistricting. It is a good reminder that a judge’s appointing party does not predict how they will rule.
Key Rulings: Ballot Initiatives and Redistricting
The 2024 Proposition 4 Decision
The ruling most tied to Hagen’s name came in July 2024. The Utah Supreme Court addressed Proposition 4, a citizen-passed initiative that created an independent redistricting commission.
The Legislature had repealed and replaced much of Proposition 4. The court ruled that lawmakers cannot freely gut citizen-passed initiatives that reform government. It found that the Utah Constitution protects the people’s power to make such changes.
The court’s opinion angered many legislative leaders. Lawmakers tried to amend the constitution to restore their power over ballot initiatives, but courts voided that effort.
The New Congressional Map
The case returned to a district judge, who later approved a new congressional map. That map included a left-leaning district around Salt Lake County. For Utah, that was a major political shift.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, including David Reymann, argued the case through these stages. Reymann’s name would later surface in the allegations against Hagen, which made the case even more politically charged.
From an analysis point of view, this is where you can see why Hagen became a political target. The ruling did not just decide one map. It limited the Legislature’s power over the voters’ own reforms.
Diana Hagen Husband and Personal Life
Diana Hagen was married for about 30 years. Her husband stayed home full-time while their kids were young, which allowed her to keep building her career.
The marriage ended in a painful divorce. That divorce later became part of the public story. Her ex-husband made allegations against her that led to a formal complaint and a public investigation.
Hagen has asked for privacy for her family. Out of respect, this article avoids private details that are not part of the public record.
Work-Life Balance and Flexible Schedules
Hagen has spoken openly about balancing work and family. For years, she worked three days a week while raising her kids. Some colleagues doubted that a part-time lawyer could reach the bench.
She proved them wrong. She has said that flexibility is what kept her in the law. Without it, she might have left the profession entirely.
Her story is often shared in conversations about women in law. It shows that a nonlinear career path can still lead to the highest court in the state.
Allegations and the JCC Investigation
The Complaint
The controversy began when Hagen’s ex-husband filed a complaint with the Judicial Conduct Commission (JCC). He alleged an improper relationship between Hagen and David Reymann. Reymann was an attorney for plaintiffs in the redistricting case before the court.
Hagen denied the allegations. The accusations quickly drew attention from Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President J. Stuart Adams.
The JCC Dismisses the Case
The JCC is a bipartisan commission that reviews complaints about Utah judges. JCC staff carried out a preliminary review of the complaint.
The commission voted to dismiss it. Its findings described the claims as speculative and said key accusations lacked credibility or were overstated and misleading.
State leaders were not satisfied. Schultz and Adams said they were disappointed and called for an independent investigation. Records later released through a KSL records request added more public scrutiny to the process.
Legislative Audit of the JCC
The dismissal triggered the first legislative audit of the JCC in its history. Lawmakers wanted to know whether the commission’s processes were fair.
The audit looked at issues such as recusal. Some members had personal connections to people in the case, which raised a perception-of-corruption concern. The audit recommended clearer recusal rules and other process improvements.
Leaders from both parties weighed in. Some Republicans argued a full investigation should have happened. Democrats, including Minority Leader Angela Romero, warned that judges should not be tried in public opinion. JCC Executive Director Alex Peterson noted that more thorough investigations would cost money.
Diana Hagen Resignation Letter
Hagen resigned on Friday, May 8, 2026, effective immediately. She explained her decision in a letter to Gov. Cox.
In the Diana Hagen resignation letter, she again denied the allegations. She said she wanted to spare her family and friends from further exposure. Remaining in public life would have meant more public investigation of private details from her divorce.
She also pointed to the coming retention election. She did not want her family to face months of campaigning built around those claims. Her letter made clear the choice was about protecting the people close to her.
Cox said he was saddened by the resignation. He now has the task of filling her seat through the nominating commission process.
2026 Retention Election and Republican Opposition
The GOP Campaign Against Retention
Hagen and Justice Jill Pohlman were both set to appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot for a retention vote. In Utah, voters decide whether a justice keeps their seat for another ten-year term.
At its April convention, the Utah Republican Party voted to oppose retaining both justices. Party chair Robert Axon led the push. The party planned an active campaign to urge voters to remove them.
That campaign was unusual. Utah parties rarely target sitting justices. It showed how deeply the redistricting ruling had divided state leaders.
Utah Retention Election History
Retention elections almost always favor sitting judges. Utah Supreme Court justices typically win with large margins, often around three-quarters of the vote or more. Chief Justice Matthew Durrant cleared his 2024 retention vote comfortably.
Nationally, the picture is similar. Very few state supreme court justices lose retention elections. Most losses happen during intense, organized political campaigns, which is exactly what Utah was heading toward in 2026.
Utah Supreme Court Expansion
In early 2026, Utah lawmakers passed a bill to expand the court from five to seven justices. It is one of the biggest structural shifts in the court’s history.
Supporters said seven justices would ease the workload and lead to faster decisions. Seven is the most common supreme court size, used in about 29 states.
Critics saw it differently. They argued the expansion reflected GOP frustration over recent rulings. With Hagen’s resignation, Cox now has the chance to fill multiple seats on a larger court.
Under the process, the governor picks from a nominating commission list. The Senate then confirms the choice. New justices face their first retention vote within about three years.
Women on the Utah Supreme Court
Hagen’s appointment was part of a longer story of women on Utah’s highest court. Progress came slowly.
| Justice | Year Joined | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Christine Durham | 1982 | First woman on the Utah Supreme Court |
| Jill Parrish | 2003 | Second woman on the court |
| Paige Petersen | 2017 | Expanded female representation |
| Diana Hagen | 2022 | Helped form the first female majority |
| Jill Pohlman | 2022 | Completed the first majority-female court |
For many years, Durham was the only woman on the court. S.J. Quinney Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner has called the female majority a long overdue milestone. Notably, Hagen was among the first female S.J. Quinney graduates to sit on the top court.
Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award and Bar Leadership
Hagen received the Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award at the Utah State Bar’s Spring Convention. The award honors lawyers who advance women in law.
Her service to the profession goes well beyond the bench. She has held leadership roles in several groups, including:
- Women Lawyers of Utah
- The Salt Lake County Bar Association
- The Federal Bar Association Utah Chapter
- The David K. Watkiss-Sutherland II Inn of Court
This kind of Bar leadership is easy to overlook. But for younger lawyers, especially women, her service and professionalism made her a visible role model. That may prove to be one of her most lasting contributions.
Diana Hagen FAQs
How Old Is Diana Hagen?
Diana Hagen’s exact birth date has not been publicly confirmed. She graduated law school in 1998 and joined the Utah Supreme Court in 2022. Her career timeline suggests she is in her early-to-mid fifties.
Is Diana Hagen LDS?
Diana Hagen has not publicly shared her religious affiliation. There is no verified public record that she is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her public profile focuses on her legal career rather than personal faith.
Why Did Diana Hagen Resign?
She resigned to spare her family from further public investigation of private details from her divorce. She continued to deny the allegations against her. The coming retention campaign was also a major factor.
Who Will Replace Justice Diana Hagen?
Gov. Cox will fill the seat using a list from the judicial nominating commission. The Utah Senate must then confirm his pick. With the court expanding to seven justices, multiple appointments are expected.
Was Diana Hagen Found Guilty of Misconduct?
No. The Judicial Conduct Commission dismissed the complaint after its review. It found the core claims speculative and lacking credibility, though some lawmakers still criticized the process.
What Is Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen Known For?
She is known for helping form the court’s first female majority. She also joined the 2024 ruling that protected citizen-passed ballot initiatives like Proposition 4. Her nonlinear career, from acting student to justice, is another part of her public story.
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