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Finding Legal Help

You are not required to hire an attorney, but legal matters can be complicated. Consider talking to an attorney to go over your options. See the Finding Legal Help page for information about free and low cost ways to get legal help. 

Como encontrar ayuda legal

Usted no está obligado a contratar un abogado, pero los asuntos legales pueden ser complicados. Considere la posibilidad de hablar con un abogado para hablar de sus opciones. Para información sobre cómo obtener ayuda legal vea nuestra página Como encontrar ayuda legal.

Judges' Biographies

THIRD DISTRICT JUVENILE COURT JUDGES


PRESIDING JUDGE TUPAKK A.G. RENTERIA

PRESIDING JUDGE TUPAKK A.G. RENTERIA

Judge Tupakk A.G. Renteria was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in January 2014 by Gov. Gary Herbert. He serves Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Renteria worked for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office where he was part of the Special Victims' Unit, which prosecuted crimes perpetrated against children. Prior to that, Judge Renteria worked for Salt Lake City where he prosecuted misdemeanor offenses in the district and justice courts. He also worked for the law firm of Lokken & Associates assisting parents in child abuse and neglect issues. Judge Renteria received his Juris Doctor from Temple University School of Law in 2000, where he was the president of the Latino Law Student Association. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies at the University of California at Berkeley in 1993. 5/15 

ASSOCIATE PRESIDING JUDGE SUSAN H. EISENMAN

ASSOCIATE PRESIDING JUDGE SUSAN H. EISENMAN

Judge Susan H Eisenman was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in July 2017 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. She serves Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties. Judge Eisenman graduated in 1990 from the University of California-Berkeley with a B.A. in English and received a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1994. She worked as a parental defender, a guardian ad litem, and as assistant attorney general for the child protection division at the Utah Attorney General's Office, later moving to provide legal services to the executive director of the Department of Human Services. In 2013, she was promoted to Division Director of the State Agency Counsel Division. Judge Eisenman has been a mentor to new lawyers, and serves on the Utah State Council for Interstate Juvenile Supervision.12/18 

JUDGE STEVEN K. BECK

JUDGE Steven K. Beck

Judge Steven K. Beck was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in July 2017 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. He serves Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties. Judge Beck earned a B.S. degree in Political Science and degrees of Master of Public Administration and Juris Doctor from the University of Utah where he received the S. J. Quinney College of Law Outstanding Achievement Award in Juvenile Justice. From 2005 until 2015, he prosecuted delinquency cases in juvenile court for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office and from 2015 until his appointment to the bench, Judge Beck defended youth as a member of Utah Juvenile Defender Attorneys. Judge Beck also presides over a juvenile delinquency drug treatment court. 7/18 

JUDGE MONICA DIAZ

JUDGE Monica Diaz

Judge Monica Diaz was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in June 2021 by Governor Spencer J. Cox. She serves Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties. Judge Diaz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences from Westminster College in 2002 and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2008. After graduation, Judge Diaz clerked for the Third District Court. From 2009 until 2012, she prosecuted delinquency cases in juvenile court for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office and from 2012 until 2020 Judge Diaz defended youth as a member of Utah Juvenile Defender Attorneys. From 2020 until her appointment to the bench Judge Diaz was the director of the Utah Sentencing Commission. Before her appointment, Judge Diaz was a member of the Utah Supreme Court Ethics and Discipline Committee, Utah Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on the Rules of Juvenile Procedure, and was awarded the Robert E. Shepherd Jr. Leadership Award for Excellence in Juvenile Defense in 2019. 6/2021 

JUDGE DAVID L. JOHNSON

Judge David L. Johnson was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in February 2022 by Governor Spencer Cox. He serves Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties. Judge Johnson received a juris doctorate from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in 2006. He graduated from California State University, Fresno in 1996 with a degree in journalism. Judge Johnson represented children in Utah's juvenile courts for more than 14 years, first as a guardian-ad-litem and then as a delinquency defense attorney. In 2017, he earned the Excellence in Juvenile Representation award from Utah Juvenile Defender Attorneys. Prior to his appointment, he served as an Assistant Attorney General and general counsel for Utah's Department of Human Services. Judge Johnson presented and served onmultiple community boards regarding juvenile human trafficking issues and juvenile homelessness. 9/22 

JUDGE ELIZABETH KNIGHT

JUDGE ELIZABETH KNIGHT

Judge Elizabeth M. Knight was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in August of 2015 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. Judge Knight serves in Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele Counties. Judge Knight graduated in 1989 from the University of Utah with a Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education, and taught first grade in Compton California for one year. Judge Knight then received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Utah College of Law in 1993. After graduating from law school, Judge Knight was employed as a Guardian ad Litem from 1993 until 2002. Judge Knight then returned to the University of Utah where she graduated with a Masters degree in Leadership and Policy in 2003. Following a brief stint teaching sixth grade, Judge Knight was employed by the Department of Human Services as an Administrative Law Judge from 2003 until 2013, and then as the Director of the Office of Guardian ad Litem from 2013 until her appointment to the bench. Judge Knight currently serves on the State Childrens Justice Center Board and the Language Access Committee.9/16 

JUDGE ELIZABETH A. LINDSLEY

JUDGE ELIZABETH A. LINDSLEY

Judge Elizabeth A. Lindsley was appointed to the Third District Juvenile Court in September 2002 by Gov. Michael O. Leavitt. She serves Salt Lake, Tooele, and Summit counties. Judge Lindsley received a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh College of Law in 1990. She served as a law clerk at the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office until 1991, when she became a deputy county/district attorney until appointed to the bench. Prior to her judicial appointment, she prosecuted juvenile delinquency and abuse/neglect cases in Third District Juvenile Court. Judge Lindsley is a member of a number of professional organizations. Currently, Judge Lindsley is a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Utah Rules of Juvenile Procedures, a member of the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, and a member of the Board of Juvenile Court Judges.8/16 

The Utah State Courts mission is to provide the people an open, fair, efficient, and independent system for the advancement of justice under the law.

Page Last Modified: 1/27/2020

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