Don M. Torgerson

Professional career

• Presiding Judge of Utah’s Seventh District Court, serving since July 2018
• His responsibilities include overseeing the San Juan County Adult Treatment Court and acting as a statewide water judge
• Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz and other lawmakers called the decision “deeply troubling” and demanded Torgerson’s resignation, arguing it failed to deliver justice for victims and eroded public trust
• Judge Torgerson is currently the Presiding Judge of the Seventh District and Chair of the Board of District Court Judges

Education

Additional information

• On August 5, 2025, Utah’s Judicial Conduct Commission dismissed multiple complaints against Torgerson “with a warning”, calling his comments “troubling but relatively minor” and finding no public sanction warranted.
• The commission noted the judge accepted responsibility and was apologetic, but did not identify him by name in its summary.
• Some lawmakers even suggested impeachment.
• Utah House Speaker Schultz expressed disappointment with the outcome, maintaining that minimizing child rape was “unacceptable”.
• He also serves on multiple judicial and bar association committees, including the Court’s Technology Advisory Subcommittee and the AI Legal Subcommittee.
• He also acts as a statewide water judge.
• During the hearing, the judge twice referred to the defendant’s “privilege” and said 112 days was “a lot of jail time for someone your age who comes from some level of privilege”.
• He also stated he had “seen worse” than the images and videos the defendant had viewed.
• He presides over cases in Grand, Carbon, Emery, and San Juan counties, and also chairs the Board of District Court Judges.