Month: March 2020

Aurora, UT—The Sevier County Judicial Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of Judge Cyndee Probert to fill the Aurora City Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge Cordell Pearson who left the position in December, 2019.

Judge Cyndee Probert was appointed to the Fillmore City Justice Court in 2015. Judge Probert graduated from the American Institute for Medical Assisting with a certificate in medical office management. She was then employed at Sevier Valley Hospital. Judge Probert was later employed for eight years as an in-court clerk and office manager where she served both the Millard County and Fillmore City Justice Courts. Judge Probert is currently enrolled and completing coursework at the National Judicial College. She is also a member on the Board of Justice Court Judges.

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Salt Lake City, UT— Utah Chief Justice Matthew Durrant has issued a follow-up order to his March 12th order regarding court operation during the pandemic. Today’s order provides the public and the Appellate, District, Juvenile, and Justice courts with more detailed information about court operations in the state during the pandemic. The most important message for the public is that the Courts in the state of Utah are open for business. Effective immediately, however, all non-essential court hearings will be delayed until further notice. The order issued today provides guidance on the types of hearings that are considered essential and will not be delayed. Courts have also taken steps to lessen the spread of the virus by cancelling group gatherings, and by using technology, when possible, to hold essential hearings.
“To be clear, the courts will continue to operate and provide mission-essential functions such as proceedings involving in-custody defendants and protective orders, to name a few,” said Chief Justice Durrant. “Using technology, we will continue to find ways to serve the public while reducing the number of people who need to physically come to court.”
Courts will be open to accept filings. The public can find more information at utcourts.gov on COVID-19. For details on the hearings, please refer to the Administrative Order.

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Salt Lake City, UT— Utah Chief Justice Matthew Durrant has issued an order outlining a first set of guidelines for the state court system as it confronts COVID-19.
“The health and safety of those who come into our courthouses and courtrooms seeking justice is a deep concern for me, our court staff, and our judges. We are also deeply concerned about the safety of our employees,” Durrant said. “At the same time, the mission-critical work of the courts must continue. Over the years, the Utah Judiciary has planned extensively for different types of emergencies, including a pandemic, so that we can continue our work when events like this occur.”
Chief Justice Durrant’s order follows Gov. Gary Herbert’s declaration of a statewide emergency earlier this week and the World Health Organization’s announcement that COVID-19 has become a pandemic. The order directs courts statewide to begin taking steps to lessen the impact of the virus by using measures like social distancing, sanitary precautions, and conducting business using technology. The Courts recognize that we all have an obligation to take steps to try to slow the spread of the virus in our communities. We are cancelling non-essential group gatherings, and we are working with our community partners, including sheriffs, prosecutors, defense attorneys and others, to cancel non-essential proceedings and to transition proceedings to video hearings where possible.
Additional orders and guidelines will be issued as the need arises. Utah’s state court system intensified our emergency preparedness planning in 2009 in response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic. We have updated our plan in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Any member of the public who has a question about court operations during the pandemic should consult the Utah Court website at utcourts.gov, which includes Covid-19 alerts.