犹他州最高法院审理「三法官合议庭」法争议：堕胎禁令、选区重划等三案待裁决
盐湖城消息：犹他州最高法院10月5日就一项涉及司法程序的州法举行口头辩论，并将于日后择期宣判。这项名为HB 392的法律允许州总检察长、州长或州议会在特定条件下申请，将挑战州政府行为的民事案件从一名地区法院法官手中移交，由随机抽选产生的三名地区法官组成的合议庭审理。
目前有三起备受关注的案件涉入这场程序之争：一是挑战犹他州近乎全面堕胎禁令的诉讼；二是质疑州立法选区划分的案件；三是挑战州政府颁发化石燃料开发许可的诉讼。挑战该法的原告方认为，立法部门此举干预了司法权力的正常行使，违反权力分立原则；州政府一方则辩称，议会有权制定法院程序规则，三法官合议反而能使重大案件的审理更审慎。
犹他州最高法院的裁定将直接决定上述三起案件今后由谁审理，因而被州内法律界密切关注。口头辩论中，法官们就「特定条件」的适用范围、随机抽选机制是否真正中立等问题向双方律师发问。
分析指出，这场诉讼表面上是程序之争，实质牵涉行政、立法与司法三权在重大社会议题上的边界。裁决时间尚未公布。
在州最高法院作出裁决之前，三起涉案诉讼的审理安排都处于不确定状态，当事人和下级法院都在等待州最高法院的指引。法律界人士指出，此案的意义可能超出犹他州一州：其他州的立法机构也在观察这种程序设计能否经受司法审查，其结果或将为类似立法提供参照。
信息来源：111 Things Utah / 州内新闻汇总（2026年10月上旬报道）
Utah Supreme Court Hears Challenge to Three-Judge Panel Law; Abortion Ban, Redistricting Cases Await Ruling
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Oct. 5 in a challenge to HB 392, a state law allowing the attorney general, the governor or the Legislature, under specified conditions, to move civil cases challenging state action from a single district judge to a randomly selected three-judge panel. The court took the matter under advisement and will rule at a later date.
Three high-profile cases are caught up in the procedural fight: a lawsuit challenging Utah's near-total abortion ban, a case over the Legislature's redistricting maps, and a challenge to a state-issued fossil-fuel permit. Opponents of the law argue it intrudes on the judiciary's role and violates separation-of-powers principles. The state counters that the Legislature may set court procedures and that a three-judge panel lends added care to major cases.
The ruling will determine who hears those three cases going forward, which is why Utah's legal community is watching closely. During arguments, justices pressed both sides on how the law's triggering conditions would apply and whether the random-selection mechanism is genuinely neutral.
Analysts note that while the case is framed as a procedural dispute, it implicates the boundaries among the executive, legislative and judicial branches on some of the state's most contested issues. No date for a decision has been announced.
Until the state supreme court rules, the path forward for all three underlying lawsuits remains uncertain, and the parties and lower courts await guidance. Legal observers note the case could matter beyond Utah: legislatures in other states are watching whether this kind of procedural design survives judicial review, and the outcome may serve as a reference for similar laws.
Source: 111 Things Utah / Utah state news roundup, early October 2026
图片来源：犹他州议会大厦（盐湖城），CC BY-SA 3.0，摄影：LoneStarMike（Wikimedia Commons）
