Christine S. Johnson

Christine S. Johnson is a Judge in the District Court of the 4th Judicial District, and is up for retention in the November 2024 Election, Utah.

Opinion

I'm leaning "no" on Christine S. Johnson. Some aspects of her alleged leniency towards abusers could be seen as simply not taking the word of a vindictive spouse. However, ex-spouses are prone to lie and exaggerate abuse, and Judges see this all the time. A tendency towards cold detachment and withheld credulity is actually a good thing. However, the majority of cases cited were more serious and had little to do with a spouse's vindictiveness. On the other hand, I have often been surprised at how lenient courts are generally with sexual abusers of children. While this is scary to me, at the same time, I have known people convicted of such behavior who were given lenient treatment. I have generally gotten along well with such people, but I warn my spouse and keep my children at a distance. I've never seen or heard anything that has led me to believe the courts necessarily erred in their leniency, but I am also aware that things are not always as they appear. The Salt Lake Tribune's fact check appeared to be, for the most part, its own counter-opinion piece; something that always leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. Though a couple of notable real factual errors were noted, they do little to blunt the argument being made.

Notes

She has been accused of showing a pattern of leniency towards abusers.

She was appointed by Jon Hunstman in 2008.