Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) and Republican leaders in the state legislature have launched an investigation into a Utah Supreme Court justice over allegations concerning her improper relationship with a lawyer who argued a redistricting case before the court.
Justice Diana Hagen had been accused by her ex-husband of texting “inappropriate” messages to David Reymann, according to a complaint filed with Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the Judicial Conduct Commission late last year.
Reymann represented the anti-redistricting plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Utah Republican-controlled legislature’s efforts to override a ballot measure banning partisan gerrymandering.
Cox, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, and Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz said they opened the investigation after the Judicial Conduct Commission decided to end its preliminary investigation into the matter, according to a Salt Lake City-based news outlet.
“An initial review by the Judicial Conduct Commission and the court left important questions unresolved,” the state leaders told KSL in a joint statement on Thursday. “Allegations of this nature, especially involving public officials, must be examined with transparency and accountability to establish the facts and to maintain public confidence.
“We will move forward with an independent investigation to ensure the facts are fully examined,” the statement reads. “This process will be conducted objectively and thoroughly, because maintaining trust in our institutions is essential.”
No specific details about the investigation, including its timeline, were provided.
The ex-husband, Tobin Hagen, discovered his then-wife had been exchanging texts with Reymann while the couple interacted socially with the lawyer in late 2024. The Hagens ultimately divorced in April 2025. Diana Hagen and Reymann have both strongly denied the allegations.
The redistricting case concerned Proposition 4, a 2018 ballot measure that required congressional districts to be redrawn by an independent redistricting commission. State lawmakers attempted to override that measure during the 2021 redistricting process, leading to the court case.
In July 2024, the state’s high court unanimously ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and determined a lower court mistakenly decided that the legislature did not violate residents’ constitutional rights. After the ruling, Republican lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to amend ballot initiatives.
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Proposition 4 remains in effect following a prolonged legal battle. Voters will not be able to decide in November whether to repeal the measure after an initiative failed to make the ballot.
Cox appointed Hagen to the Utah Supreme Court in 2022. Before then, she served on the Utah Court of Appeals for five years.