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Hagen also stressed that while public officials should expect intense public scrutiny, her family and friends “did not choose public life” and should not be dragged into public examination over deeply personal matters connected to the collapse of her marriage.
The controversy traces back to a bombshell ethics complaint filed in December 2025 by attorney Michael Worley. The complaint centered on accusations made by Hagen’s former husband, Tobin Hagen, who alleged the justice had an inappropriate relationship with attorney David Reymann.
David Reymann represented the plaintiffs in a closely watched lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters of Utah challenging the state’s congressional district boundaries.
The case quickly became one of the most politically consequential legal fights in the state.
Critics argued the lawsuit opened the door for Democrats to carve out a congressional district favorable to their party in a state long dominated by Republicans.
The ethics complaint claimed text messages and other materials suggested the alleged relationship may have improperly influenced judicial conduct connected to the redistricting dispute.
Investigators later reviewed the allegations along with supporting evidence and ultimately concluded there was insufficient proof of misconduct.
According to the investigative findings, the accusations were described as “speculative, overstated, and misleading” and carried “very little credibility.”
But the controversy refused to die.
After the preliminary report became public through an open records request earlier this year, top Utah Republicans intensified calls for a broader independent investigation.
Governor Cox, along with Republican legislative leaders, publicly described the allegations as serious enough to warrant additional scrutiny despite the earlier findings.
The underlying legal battle itself carried enormous political implications.
The case, League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature, challenged Utah’s congressional map and eventually reached the state Supreme Court.
In a major ruling issued in October 2024, Hagen authored a unanimous opinion striking down a proposed constitutional amendment tied to ballot language issues.
The legal fight escalated further in November 2025 when the court approved a remedial congressional map backed by plaintiffs.
That new map kept much of Salt Lake County together inside a single district, dramatically altering Utah’s political landscape and creating a seat widely viewed as favorable to Democrats.
For decades, Utah’s congressional delegation had been entirely Republican.
The new configuration threatened to break that dominance.
Republicans blasted the outcome as judicial activism disguised as redistricting reform, while Democrats celebrated the map as a correction to what they viewed as partisan gerrymandering.
Notably, Hagen had already stepped away from further involvement in the redistricting litigation after spring 2025.
The Utah Supreme Court’s later procedural decisions, including dismissing the Legislature’s appeal in February 2026, occurred after her recusal.
The final map remained intact after a federal court refused to intervene, meaning Utah voters are expected to use the new district lines in the 2026 election cycle.
Following Hagen’s resignation announcement Friday, Republican legislative leaders indicated the matter was effectively over and confirmed no additional investigation would move forward.
Still, the political fallout is likely far from finished.
The resignation leaves behind lingering questions about judicial ethics, political influence, and the increasingly bitter national fights over redistricting that continue reshaping congressional power across the country.
For conservatives in Utah, the timing could not be more alarming.
A state once viewed as safely Republican now faces the possibility of sending a Democrat to Congress under court-approved maps that critics argue never should have survived legal scrutiny in the first place.
