Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

is a state in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. Its government consists of a state executive, legislative, and judicial branch, laid forth by the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

and law of the State of Utah.

Executive Branch

The executive powers of government are vested in the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. The current governor is Spencer Cox, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Gary Herbert Gary Richard Herbert (born May 7, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle. Herbert wo ...

, the previous governor, assumed the governorship on August 11, 2009, following the resignation of Governor

Jon Huntsman, Jr. Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American businessman, diplomat and politician who served as the 16th Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Ambassador of the United States to ...

, who was appointed

United States Ambassador to China The United States Ambassador to China is the chief American diplomat to People's Republic of China (PRC). The United States has sent diplomatic representatives to China since 1844, when Caleb Cushing, as commissioner, negotiated the Treaty of W ...

by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

. Herbert was elected for a further four-year term in 2012 and 2016. In 2019, Herbert announced he would not seek a third full term in 2020, and endorsed then-Lieutenant Governor Cox for governor. In the 2020 Utah gubernatorial election, Cox was elected governor, after first defeating former Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., former Utah GOP chair Thomas Wright, and former Utah House Speaker

Greg Hughes Gregory H. Hughes is an American politician who served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives representing District 51 from January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2018. Hughes is the former Speaker of the House for the House of Representa ...

in the Republican primary, then defeating Democratic nominee Chris Peterson in the general election. Officers The Governor's Cabinet consists of the following appointees, who are the heads of the agencies listed:Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr
* Executive Director, Utah Department of Administrative Services * Commissioner, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food * Executive Director,

Utah Department of Corrections The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) is a government agency dedicated to the management and supervision of convicted felons in the U.S. state of Utah. It is currently led by the Executive Director Brian Nielson. It has its headquarters in t ...

* Chief Information Officer for the State of Utah, Utah Department of Technology Services * Executive Director, Utah Department of Commerce * Executive Director,

Utah Department of Environmental Quality The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is a state governmental organization located in Salt Lake City, Utah. DEQ's mission is to safeguard public health and our quality of life by protecting and enhancing the environment. DEQ implements State ...

* Commissioner, Utah Department of Financial Institutions * Executive Director, Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development * Executive Director,

Utah Department of Health The Utah Department of Health is the Government of Utah's body responsible for public health. It is headquartered in the Cannon Health Building in Salt Lake City. Services In July 2014 the Utah Department of Health issued its first permits for ...

* Executive Director, Utah Department of Human Resource Management * Executive Director,

Utah Department of Human Services The Utah Department of Human Services is a state agency of Utah, headquartered in Salt Lake City.Contact Info
(click button at upper left). Utah ...

* Commissioner, Utah Insurance Department * Adjutant General of Utah,

Utah National Guard The Utah National Guard consists of the: * Utah Army National Guard **19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) **65th Field Artillery Brigade **85th WMD CST **97th Troop Command **115th Engineer Group (CBT) **204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade **211th ...

* Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources * Commissioner,

Utah Department of Public Safety Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a law enforcement agency in the State of Utah, headquartered in Taylorsville. Utah Department of Public Safety is under the direction of Commissioner Jess L. Anderson. The agency is headquartered at Sou ...

* Executive Director,

Utah Department of Transportation The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is an agency of the state government of Utah, United States; it is usually referred to by its initials UDOT (pronounced "you-dot"). UDOT is charged with maintaining the more than of roadway that co ...

* Executive Director, Utah Department of Community and Culture * Executive Director, Utah Department of Workforce Services * Executive Director, Utah Department of Veteran Affairs * Chairperson, Utah Board of Pardons and Parole * Commissioner, Utah Labor Commission * Commissioner, Utah State Tax Commission

Legislative Branch

The legislative powers of government are vested in the Senate,

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and the people. Both the Utah Senate and the Utah House of Representatives have a

majority.

Utah State Senate

Leadership *President: Stuart Adams (R-22) Majority (

) Leadership * Majority Leader: Evan Vickers (R-28) * Majority Whip:

Ann Millner F. Ann Millner is an American politician, and former university administrator. A Republican, Millner is a member of the Utah State Senate representing Utah's 18th District since 2015. She was previously the 11th president of Weber State Univers ...

(R-18) Minority ( Democratic) Leadership * Minority Leader: Karen Mayne (D-5) * Minority Whip:

Luz Escamilla Luz Robles Escamilla is the Senator for the Utah State Senate's 1st Utah Senate District, 1st Districtmap, defeating Utah Republican Party, Republican Carlton Christensen for the seat November 4, 2008 after having beaten incumbent Sen. Fred Fife ...

(D-1)

Utah State House of Representatives

Leadership * Speaker of the House: Brad Wilson (R-15) Majority (

) Leadership * Majority Leader: Francis D. Gibson (R-65) * Majority Whip: Mike Schultz (R-12) Minority ( Democratic) Leadership * Minority Leader: Brian King (D-28) * Minority Whip: Karen Kwan (D-34)

Judicial Branch

The judicial powers of government are vested in a Supreme Court, district courts, and other courts of record.

Supreme Court

District Courts

References

{{Governments of the United States