Utah Courts Recent Press Notifications

Price Utah — The next regularly scheduled meeting of Utah’s grand jury panel of judges will be on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at the Price 7th District Courthouse, located at 120 East Main Street, Price, UT, 84501.¹

The purpose of the meeting is to hear testimony, if any, to determine whether a grand jury should be summoned based upon evidence of criminal activity. The panel of judges will hear, in secret, individuals claiming information that justifies calling a grand jury. Individuals appearing before the panel of judges will be placed under oath. An individual who testifies must be prepared to provide evidence to support a claim that justifies calling a grand jury. The Attorney General, a county attorney, district attorney, or special prosecutor appointed under U.C.A. section 77-10a-1 can also present evidence of criminal activity. Controversies between individual parties, civil matters, and matters that are subject to criminal appeal will not be considered.

Those wanting to testify before the panel of judges should contact Keri Sargent, Deputy District Court Administrator, Administrative Office of the Courts, at (801) 238-7547 by Monday, January 6, 2024, at noon, to schedule an appointment and arrange to receive further specific instructions.

Any individual needing special accommodation during the hearing must notify panel staff at least three business days prior to the hearing. If no appointments are scheduled by the appointed time, the meeting will be canceled without further notice.

The current members of the grand jury panel of judges are: Supervising Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills, 3rd District Court; Judge Roger Griffin, 4th District Court; Judge Blaine Rawson, 2nd District Court; Judge Matthew Bell, 5th District Court; and Judge Paul Parker, 3rd District Court. Additional information regarding the grand jury panel of judges is available at the Utah Court’s website² or in the Utah Code.³

1 Utah’s grand jury statute requires a panel of judges selected from throughout the state to hold a hearing in each judicial district every three years.

2 https://www.utcourts.gov/en/about/miscellaneous/grand-jury.html

3 https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title77/Chapter10A/77-10a-S2.html?v=C77-10a-S2_2018050820180508

# # #

West Jordan, Utah—The West Jordan Judicial Nominating Commission has selected five nominees for a justice court judge position that will serve West Jordan, Utah. The final candidate will replace Judge Ron Kunz who will retire in January.

Following is an alphabetical listing of the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

∙ Matthew Brass, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Farmington,

∙ Mark Flores, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City,

∙ Jennifer Foresta, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City,

∙ Ryan N. Holtan, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City, and

∙ Chelsey A. McHugh, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Taylorsville.

A comment period will be held through December 27, 2024. Once application materials are provided to Dirk Burton, the West Jordan Mayor, he will have 30 days to make a final selection. His selection must then be ratified by the West Jordan City Council. To submit written comments about any of the candidates, please email James Peters, Justice Court Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

# # #

South Salt Lake, Utah—The South Salt Lake Judicial Nominating Commission has selected five nominees for a justice court judge position that will serve South Salt Lake, Utah. The final candidate will replace Judge Ryan Richards who will resign at the end of the month.

Following is an alphabetical listing of the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

∙ Roger E. Baker, J.D. Attorney at Law, resident of Sandy,

∙ Sean D. Brian, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Harrisville,

∙ Mark Flores, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City,

∙ Jennifer Foresta, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City, and

∙ Ryan N. Holtan, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City.

A comment period will be held through December 15, 2024. Once application materials are  provided to Cherie Wood, the South Salt City Mayor, she will have 30 days to make a final selection. Her selection must then be ratified by the South Salt Lake City Council. To submit  written comments about any of the candidates, please email James Peters, Justice Court  Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Pleasant Grove, Utah—The Pleasant Grove Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on December 5, 2024 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Pleasant Grove, Utah. The position will replace Judge Randy Birch who resigned in March. The Commission will begin the meeting at 9:00 a.m. in the Pleasant Grove City Hall, which is located at 70 South 100 East in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

The early portion of the meeting is scheduled for public comment about issues facing the Utah judiciary and improvements to the system. Public comments will be accepted from 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Following the public comment period, the meeting will be closed to allow commission members to review applications for the vacancy.

Individuals interested in submitting oral or written commentary to the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting must contact Jim Peters at (801) 578-3824 or jamesp@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

# # #

Providence, Utah—The Providence Judicial Nominating Commission has selected four nominees for a justice court judge position that will serve Providence, Utah. The final candidate will replace Judge Matt Funk who resigned earlier this year.

Following is an alphabetical listing of the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

• Sean D. Brian, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Harrisville,
• Trevor L. Cook, J.D. Attorney at Law and Justice Court Judge in Rich County, resident of Nibley,
• Matthew D. Lorz, J.D., Attorney at Law and Justice Court Judge in Hyde Park, North Logan and Wellsville, resident of North Logan, and
• Jill Sanders, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Nibley.

A comment period will be held through December 13, 2024. Once application materials are provided to Kathleen Alder, the Providence City Mayor, she will have 30 days to make a final selection. Her selection must then be ratified by the Providence City Council. To submit written comments about any of the candidates, please email James Peters, Justice Court Administrator, at  jamesp@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Providence, Utah—The Providence Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on November 20, 2024 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Providence, Utah. The position will replace Judge Matt Funk who resigned in January. The Commission will begin the meeting at 7:45 a.m. in the Providence City Hall, which is located at 164 North Gateway Drive in Providence, Utah.

The early portion of the meeting is scheduled for public comment about issues facing the Utah judiciary and improvements to the system. Public comments will be accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Following the public comment period, the meeting will be closed to allow commission members to review applications for the vacancy.

Individuals interested in submitting oral or written commentary to the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting must contact Jim Peters at (801) 578-3824 or jamesp@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

# # #

West Jordan, Utah—The West Jordan Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on November 18, 2024 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve West Jordan, Utah. The position will replace Judge Ron Kunz who will retire in January. The Commission will begin the meeting at 11:00 a.m. in the West Jordan City Hall, which is located at 8000 South  Redwood Road in West Jordan, Utah.

The early portion of the meeting is scheduled for public comment about issues facing the Utah judiciary and improvements to the system. Public comments will be accepted from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Following the public comment period, the meeting will be closed to allow commission members to review applications for the vacancy.

Individuals interested in submitting oral or written commentary to the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting must contact Jim Peters at (801) 578-3824 or jamesp@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

# # #

South Salt Lake, Utah—The South Salt Lake Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on November 13, 2024 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve South Salt Lake. The position will replace Judge Ryan Richards who will resign in December. The Commission will begin the meeting at 11:00 a.m. in the South Salt Lake City Hall, which is located at 220 East Morris Avenue in South Salt Lake, Utah.

The early portion of the meeting is scheduled for public comment about issues facing the Utah judiciary and improvements to the system. Public comments will be accepted from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Following the public comment period, the meeting will be closed to allow commission members to review applications for the vacancy.

Individuals interested in submitting oral or written commentary to the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting must contact Jim Peters at (801) 578-3824 or jamesp@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

# # #

Pleasant Grove, Utah—The deadline for applications for a part-time justice court judge position in Pleasant Grove has been extended. The position will replace Judge Randy Birch who resigned in March.

To be considered for a justice court judgeship in Utah County, candidates must be at least 25 years of age, a citizen of the United States, a Utah resident for at least three years, and have a degree from a law school that would make one eligible to apply for admission to a bar in any state in the United States. In addition, applicants must be a resident of Utah County, an adjacent county, or the  judicial district in which the justice court is located either upon appointment or within a reasonable time following appointment.

Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s website at www.utcourts.gov under employment opportunities. An application for judicial office form must be completed and is available on the court’s website (https://legacy.utcourts.gov/admin/jobs). The salary range for the position is $46,417 to $59,678 per year. For additional information about working for Pleasant Grove, email Scott Darrington at sdarrington@pgcity.org.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to the attention of Jim Peters, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake  City, UT, 84114-0241. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. For questions about the justice courts or the process for filling this position, email Jim Peters,  Justice Court Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit three to five nominees to the mayor of Pleasant Grove, Guy Fugal, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Fugal will then have 30 days in which to select a finalist. His selection must then be ratified by the Pleasant Grove City Council and certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

# # #

West Jordan, Utah—Applications are being accepted for a full-time justice court judge position that will serve West Jordan, Utah. The position will replace Judge Ronald Kunz who will retire in January. 

To be considered for a justice court judgeship in Salt Lake County, candidates must be at least 25 years of age, a citizen of the United States, a Utah resident for at least three years, and have a degree from a law school that would make one eligible to apply for admission to a bar in any state in the United States. In addition, applicants must be a resident of Salt Lake County, an adjacent county, or the judicial district in which the justice court is located either upon appointment or within a reasonable time following appointment.  

Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s website at www.utcourts.gov under employment opportunities. An application for judicial office form must be completed and is available on the court’s website (https://legacy.utcourts.gov/employment). The salary range for the position is $149,730 to $192,510 per year and includes benefits. For additional information about working for West Jordan, email Kassie Draper, Human Resource Generalist, at Kassie.Draper@westjordan.utah.gov or call her at (801) 569-5038.

The deadline for applications is Friday, November 1, 2024 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to the  attention of Jim Peters, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114-0241. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. For questions about the justice courts or the process for filling this position, email Jim Peters, Justice Court Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit three to five nominees to the mayor of West Jordan, Dirk Burton, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Burton will then have 30 days in which to select a finalist. His selection must then be ratified by the West Jordan City Council and certified by the Utah Judicial Council. 

# # #