Investigate the Senate President's Abuse of Power

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams used his political influence to push a legal change that directly benefited his step-grandchild, who was facing serious criminal charges.

In 2024, the legislature passed S.B. 213, an omnibus criminal justice bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore. While most of the bill contained broadly applicable sentencing reforms, a last-minute provision, drafted by the defense attorney for Adams’ step-grandchild, created a new third-degree felony charge with no mandatory prison sentence or sex offender registration for certain offenses involving 13-year-olds and 18-year-old high school students.

Adams admitted to discussing the case with Cullimore before the provision was added. While the law was not retroactive, it was cited in plea negotiations and resulted in a significantly reduced sentence for his family member. This represents a serious breach of public trust and underscores the need for stronger ethics laws in Utah to prevent lawmakers from using their positions for personal benefit.

Utahns deserve elected officials who apply the law fairly to all, not just to protect the politically connected. The legislature must hold Adams accountable and enact stronger safeguards against conflicts of interest.

Thanks to @elevate_utah for their collaboration on this issue.