Bail reform repeal passes Utah Legislature just months after kicking in
Reforms were meant to stop kicking defendants locked up before trial simply because they couldn’t afford bail. Prosecutors say the new system has worked.
(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) Salt Lake County Jail on Friday, March 20, 2020.
| March 3, 2021, 11:36 p.m.
A Utah bill that would dismantle key pieces of last year’s bail reform package is heading to the governor’s desk, with several state senators on Wednesday signing off on the proposal despite their reservations.
State legislators have spent weeks wrestling over whether to repeal or modify the 2020 law that sought to overhaul Utah’s wealth-based system for jailing or freeing people ahead of their trial. Now, they’re moving forward with a hybrid approach that retains some aspects of last year’s law, scraps others and proponents say sets the state up to continue improving the law in the months to come.
| Updated: Jan. 22, 2021, 12:52 a.m.
Utah Auditor John Dougall, a man nicknamed “frugal” for his general attitude of moderation, said he’s tried to maintain a balanced view of President Donald Trump by acknowledging the good along with the bad.
But after watching Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Republican says he’s fed up.
“Trump is seditious and treasonous,” Dougall wrote on Facebook as violence was still roiling the nation’s capital. “He needs to resign or be officially removed from office. Let there be no doubt of my opinion.”
Many Utah lawmakers and elected officials have remained loyal to the president over the last few years even through the Access Hollywood scandal (in which he bragged that his fame gave him the power to grab women “by the p -y”), his impeachment trial and his efforts to overturn the U.S. election results in his favor.