Category: -Rules of Appellate Procedure

URAP010.Procedures for summary disposition or simplified appeal process. The amendments to Rule 10 include: (1) adding a provision to allow the appellate courts to dismiss an appeal for failure to prosecute if, after 150 days, the reasons the appeal was tolled under Rule 4(b) or Rule 4(c) are not resolved; and (2) to clean-up for clarity and consistency.

URAP057.Record on appeal; transmission of record; supplementation of the record. The amendment to Rule 57 modifies the definition of the record on appeal for child welfare cases, and makes the rule consistent with Rule 11.

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URAP003. Appeal as of right – how taken; URAP005. Discretionary appeals from interlocutory orders; URAP014. Review of administrative orders: how obtained; intervention; URAP019. Extraordinary relief; and URAP048. Time for petitioning. (Amend). The amendments to Rules 3, 5, 14, 19, and 48 modify the fee provision language in each rule to direct parties to the requirements of Rule 21, which addresses filing and service, and its provisions regarding payment of filing fees.

Additionally, the amendments to Rule 14 adds a provision for agencies to file the record within 21 days upon receiving a request from the appellate courts.

URAP021. Filing and service. (Amend). The amendments to Rule 21: (1) notify parties that the appellate courts are transitioning to an e-filing system; (2) specify the date when all licensed attorneys will be required to file using the e-filing system; (3) explain that filing fees will be required to be paid through the e-filing system when documents are e-filed; (4) clarify that failure to pay a filing fee may result in dismissal; and (5) update the provisions regarding service for documents that are e-filed.

URAP026. Filing and serving briefs. (Amend). The amendments to Rule 26: (1) update paragraph (b) to include a requirement for copies of briefs that are e-filed; and (2) clarify paragraph (d) to make clear that only physical records need be returned.

URAP027. Form of briefs, motions, and other documents. (Amend). The amendments to Rule 27: (1) provide more detailed guidance for preparing the caption for briefs and conform the rule to current practice; (2) remove the requirement that opposing counsel be listed on the cover, as this information will be included on a following page; (3) clarify the requirements for captions on petitions and motions or other documents that are not a brief or petition; and (4) require hard copies of briefs be submitted to the appellate courts using only a binder clip, rather than a velo or similar binding along the left edge.

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URAP011. The Record on appeal. The amendments to Rule 11 clarify: (1) that exhibits will also be included in the record along with a list of all exhibits; and (2) how parties can access sealed records on appeal. The second change is in response to the Supreme Court’s opinion in State v. Chadwick, 2023 UT 12.

URAP022. Computation and enlargement of time. Rule 22 paragraph (b)(4)(D) was amended so the rule will match the long-standing procedure used in the appellate clerk’s office. The advisory committee note was also updated to remove the same language that was removed from paragraph (b)(4(D).

URAP052. Child welfare appeals. In accordance with the Supreme Court’s opinion in A.S. v. State, 2023 UT 11, Rule 52 was amended to: (1) modify the title of paragraph (c) to mirror the title used in paragraph (d) of Rule 4; and (2) add a procedure for a parent to file a motion to reinstate the period for filing a direct appeal if the parent demonstrates that they were deprived of the right to appeal.

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URAP004. Appeal as of right: when taken. The approved amendments to Rule 4 include: (1) clarify what will be deemed the entry date for an order that is filed on the weekend or on a legal holiday; (2) clarify when the time for appeal beings to run when multiple post-judgment motions are decided separately; (3) restructure paragraph (f) to be consistent with paragraph (g) (addressing reinstating the right to appeal in civil cases); (4) explain the standard governing a motion to reinstate the time for appeal in a criminal case; (5) include a one-year deadline from discovery of facts giving rise to the claim; (6) require a defendant to include in the motion for reinstatement the reasons for filing later than the one year deadline; and (7) clean up language for clarity.

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URAP005. Discretionary appeals from interlocutory orders. The approved amendments to Rule 5 include: (1) Make the process for preparing the record consistent with those in other types of appeals; and (2) remove the language requiring that ordering of transcripts be expedited (if parties require an expedited appeal, they may file a 23C motion for emergency relief).

URAP014. Review of administrative orders: how obtained, intervention. The approved amendments to Rule 14 include: (1) add a filing fee provision. This provision was inadvertently removed from the rule in 2016 as part of an effort to revise the rules to address efiling. The Committee is adding the provision back into the rule to make the filing fee requirement explicit, consistent with the fee requirements in Rules 3 and 5.

URAP050. Response; reply. The approved amendments to Rule 50 include: (1) add language which will allow a party to respond to a petition for writ of certiorari only when the Court requests one, as is the current practice for responses to petitions for interlocutory appeal (Rule 5(f)) and for rehearing (Rule 35(a)(4)); (2) remove language about the timing for a response when the filing fee is paid after the petition is served, because responses will no longer be permitted unless requested by the Court (additionally, Rule 48(a) addresses the filing fee requirement); and (3) clean up language for clarity and consistency.

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URAP008. Stay or injunction pending appeal. Rule 8 is being amended to remove references to specific subparagraphs within Rule 62 of the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure. Rule 62 was significantly amended effective November 1, 2021. Those amendments deleted the prior subparagraph (d). Thus, the current reference in Rule 8(b)(1) of the Utah Rules of Appellate Procedure to “Rule 62(d) of the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure” no longer makes sense. To avoid future problems, the Committee also suggests modifying Appellate Rule 8’s subparagraph (c) because it also contains a reference to a specific subparagraph of Civil Rule 62.

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URAP005. Discretionary appeals from interlocutory orders. Final Rule 5 is amended to: (1) clarify what will be deemed the entry date for an order that is entered on a weekend or legal holiday; and (2) clean up language for clarity and consistency.

URAP011. The record on appeal. Final Rule 11 is amended to: (1) add a requirement that parties include the position of all other parties when filing a motion to supplement the record; and (2) change the reference to Rule 11(e)(1) to (c)(1).

URAP022. Computation and enlargement of time. Final Rule 22 is amended to: (1) clarify what will be deemed the entry date for an order that is entered on a weekend or legal holiday; (2) clarify “legal holiday” and provide a link to the Utah Court’s website that lists the holidays on which the Utah State Courts are closed; (3) add a requirement that parties include the position of all other parties when filing a motion; and (4) clean up language for clarity and consistency.

URAP052. Child welfare appeals. Final Rule 52 is amended to: (1) clarify what will be deemed the entry date for an order that is entered on a weekend or legal holiday; and (2) clean up format for consistency.

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URAP004. Appeal as of right: when taken. S.B. 18, the Public Expression Protection Act, originally sought to impose a 21-day deadline to file a notice of appeal from the denial of an expedited motion to dismiss a lawsuit under the Act. But the Utah Supreme Court’s legislative liaison recognized that including a deadline to file a notice of appeal in a statute could raise constitutional questions about whether that deadline infringes the Court’s procedural rulemaking authority. There was not enough time left in the legislative session for the legislature to pursue a joint resolution to amend the rules of appellate procedure to add the new deadline. Thus, to avoid future litigation on the constitutional issue, court and legislative personnel worked jointly to amend rule 4 to include the new deadline to take effect simultaneously with the bill’s effective date of May 3, 2023.  The Court has accordingly adopted the amendment to rule 4 on an expedited basis, with the public comment period to follow, pursuant to rule 11-105(5) of the Utah Rules of Judicial Administration.

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