Month: April 2016

Fairview, UT— The Sanpete County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of the Honorable Mark Kay McIff to fill the Fairview City Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge Ivo Peterson who will retire effective July 1, 2016.

Mark McIff is currently the Justice Court judge in the Sevier and Piute County Justice Courts. He is an attorney who practices law in the south central Utah area. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting (1995) from Southern Utah University in Cedar City, and a juris doctorate degree (1998) from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. McIff has held several positions, including Piute County Attorney, Wayne County Attorney, Deputy Sevier County Attorney, Deputy Garfield County Attorney, city prosecutor for several cities in the district, and chief criminal prosecutor for the Wasatch County Attorney’s Office in Heber City. He has served as the chair of the Sevier County Republican Party. He Resides in Richfield with his wife, Stacee, and two daughters.

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Kane County, UT— The Kane County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of Judge Gary L. Johnson to fill the Kane County Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge F. Kirk Heaton who will retire effective June 30, 2016.

Gary Johnson is a fourth generation Kane County native and has resided in Kanab for the majority of his life. Johnson graduated from Kanab High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Utah University. Johnson Served as judge for the Kanab City Justice Court from 1998 until the court was dissolved in 2014. Since then he has served as Judge Pro Tem for the Kane County Justice Court. He also served a two-year term as the tribal Judge for the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians.

Salt Lake City, UT — Utah Supreme Court Justice Matthew B. Durrant has been elected to serve a second term as chief justice by a unanimous vote of his fellow justices.

Justice Durrant was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court in January 2000 by Governor Michael O. Leavitt. He was selected as Chief Justice in 2012 when then Chief Justice Christine Durham stepped down from that role, but chose to stay on the Utah Supreme Court.

Once elected by a vote of the justices, the chief justice serves a four-year term. The chief justice presides over the Utah Supreme Court, as well as the Utah Judicial Council, which oversees the administrative operations of Utah State Courts.

“I feel privileged to work with four colleagues who are not only exemplary jurists, but remarkable human beings. I am deeply honored by the trust they have placed in me,” Durrant said.

Before his appointment to the Utah Supreme Court, Justice Durrant served as a trial judge in the Third Judicial District. He was the founding chair of the Supreme Court’s Professionalism Committee and has chaired the Judicial Council’s Technology Committee. In addition, Justice Durrant chaired the Supreme Court Committee charged with the revision of the Code of Judicial Conduct. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1984, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School.

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Cedar City, UT — A panel of judges is scheduled to meet on May 12, 2016, to hear testimony to determine if reasonable cause exists to call a grand jury. The meeting will take place at the Cedar City Courthouse, 40 North 100 East, Iron County.

Those wanting to testify before the panel of judges should contact District Court Administrator Debra Moore at (801) 578-3800 by May 2, 2016, to schedule an appointment. If no appointments are scheduled by May 2, the meeting will be canceled without further notice.

Individuals testifying must be prepared to give evidence to support claims that justify calling a grand jury. Controversies between individual parties will not be considered. Individuals who need special accommodations during the hearing must notify the court at least three business days prior to the hearing.

Utah’s Grand Jury Statute requires a panel of judges selected from throughout the state to hold hearings in each judicial district every three years. The purpose of the hearings is to determine if a grand jury needs to be summoned based on evidence of criminal activity. The Grand Jury Panel is comprised of the following judges: Supervising Judge W. Brent West, 2nd District Court; Judge Lynn W. Davis, 4th District Court; Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills, 3rd District Court; Judge Eric A. Ludlow, 5th District Court; and Judge Kara Pettit, 3rd District Court.

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. The panel of judges will hear, in secret, all persons claiming information that justifies calling a grand jury. All individuals appearing before the panel of judges will be placed under oath. If a grand jury is summoned, the jurors will be called from the state-at-large or any judicial district within the state. Additional information is available at http://legacy.utcourts.gov/cal/grandjury.
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Fairview, UT—The Sanpete County Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for an upcoming vacancy at the Sanpete County Justice Court. The position will replace Judge Ivo Peterson who will retire effective July 1, 2016.

Following are the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:
• Matthew Lamar Duffin, JD; Utah Valley University Associate Professor; Spanish Fork
• LuAnn H Greenwell; Retired fromWells Fargo Bank; Fairview
• Honorable Judge Mark Kay McIff; Sevier and Piute County Justice Court Judge, Attorney at Law; Richfield

A comment period will be held through April 15, 2016, before a final candidate is selected by the Mayor of Fairview City, Jeff Cox, who has 30 days to make an appointment. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Fairview City Council. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment. To submit written comments about the candidates, contact Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts, melisses@utcourts.gov.
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Farmington, UT—The Second District Commissioner Nominating Committee has selected four nominees for an upcoming commissioner vacancy. The position will replace David S. Dillon who will retire effective June 30, 2016.

The nominees are:
• David Benard who currently serves as an assistant attorney general, representing DCFS cases. Benard has been with the Utah Attorney General’s Office since 1999. Prior to his service in the AG’s Office he was an associate and partner with Palmer & Palmer, which changed to Palmer & Benard.

• Thomas R Morgan who currently serves as a family law private attorney. Prior to 2006 he was with Robert Echard & Associates.

• Andrew P. Munson who currently serves as a law clerk for US District Court Judge David Nuffer. Munson previously has served as an attorney law clerk and traffic court referee with the Utah State Courts, starting in 2010.

• Jennifer Spangenberg who currently serves as a guardian ad litem attorney with the Office of Guardian ad Litem. Prior to that, she was with Utah Legal Services, where she served as a staff attorney and managing attorney since 2008.

A comment period will be held through April 19, 2016, before a final candidate is selected. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment within 45 days of selection. To submit written comments about the candidates, contact Jane Olsen, Administrative Office of the Courts, janeo@utcourts.gov.
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