Douglas J. Nielsen will appear on the general election ballot in a retention vote for his seat on Utah's Fourth Judicial District Juvenile Court. Voters will decide whether to keep Nielsen on the bench. The retention race is nonpartisan.

Nielsen was appointed to the position on July 27, 2016, by Governor Gary R. Herbert, according to Ballotpedia. The appointment filled a new seat created by the Utah State Legislature during the 2016 general session. The Utah State Senate subsequently confirmed him.

Candidate information

  • Name: Douglas J. Nielsen
  • Office sought: Utah Juvenile Court Judge, District 4 (retention)
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Education: Bachelor's degree from Utah State University (2004); law degree from Oklahoma City University (2007)

Experience and public service

Before his appointment, Nielsen served as a judge at the Lehi City Justice Court and the Alpine/Highland City Justice Court from January 2013 to September 2016, according to his official Utah Courts biography.

Nielsen co-founded Petro & Nielsen Law Office, where he practiced as an attorney from 2010 to 2013. He also worked as an associate attorney at Young, Kester & Petro, according to his BallotReady profile.

Earlier in his career, Nielsen interned at the Utah County Public Defenders Association and the Oklahoma County Public Defenders Association.

Nielsen has served on the Board of Justice Court Judges and the Board of Juvenile Court Judges. He chairs the Fourth District Child Welfare Interagency Committee, according to his Utah Courts biography.

On the issues

The research packet did not include specific issue responses or policy positions from Nielsen for this retention election.

When Herbert appointed him in 2016, Nielsen said, according to Utah Policy, "I believe the greatest service in the legal profession is to the youth and families of our community. I am honored that Governor Herbert and others have given me this unique opportunity to serve."

Editor's note: This profile is based on publicly available records and reviewed candidate data. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this race.