April 2025 – Utah Courts Recent Press Notifications

Posted: April 30, 2025

UTAH SUPREME COURT LAUNCHES ONE-PAGE OPINION SUMMARIES TO IMPROVE PUBLIC ACCESS AND UNDERSTANDING

Salt Lake City, Utah — The Utah Supreme Court has launched a new initiative designed to make its decisions more accessible to the public. Beginning in 2025, the Court began publishing one-page summaries of its opinions, providing readers with a quick, easy-to-understand overview of each case.

Written in plain language, the summaries highlight the central legal question, the Court’s decision, and a brief explanation of the reasoning behind the ruling. They are intended to assist a wide range of readers – including litigants, journalists, students, and members of the public – in understanding the core of each decision without requiring extensive legal background.

“These summaries are part of our broader efforts to promote transparency and public understanding of the judicial process,” said Chief Justice Matthew Durrant. “They offer a helpful entry point into the Court’s work, especially for those who may not regularly read legal opinions.”

The summaries, however, are not a substitute for the full opinions. For the most accurate and comprehensive understanding of a case, readers are encouraged to consult the full opinion, which is always available alongside the summary on the Utah appellate courts’ website. Media sources are encouraged to quote from the opinions, not from the summaries.

This new effort reflects the Court’s ongoing commitment to enhancing public access to the judicial system through clarity, outreach, and innovation.
For more information and to view the summaries, visit https://legacy.utcourts.gov/opinions/.

# # #

Posted: April 28, 2025

JUSTICE COURT JUDGE SELECTION MEETING PLANNED FOR KANE COUNTY

Kane County, Utah—The Kane County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on May 1, 2025 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Kane County, Utah. The position will replace Judge Gary Johnson who will retire in June. The Commission will begin the meeting at 1:00 p.m. in the Kane County Administration Building, which is located at 76 North Main Street in Kanab, 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 2:00 p.m. to 2:15 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.

# # #

Posted: April 16, 2025

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE HYRUM JUSTICE COURT VACANCY

Hyrum, Utah—The Hyrum Judicial Nominating Commission has selected four nominees for a justice court judge position that will serve Hyrum, Mendon, Paradise and Nibley, Utah. The final candidate will replace Judge Paul Larsen who will retire in June.

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,
Brody E. Flint, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Honeyville, and
John Hulbert, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Hyrum.

A comment period will be held through April 26, 2025. Once application materials are provided to Stephanie Miller, the Hyrum City Mayor, she will have 30 days to make a final selection. Her selection must then be ratified by the Hyrum City Council. To submit written comments about any of the candidates, please email James Peters, Justice Court Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Posted: April 14, 2025

COMMENT PERIOD ANNOUNCED FOR POTENTIAL COURT COMMISSIONER

Ogden, Utah — The Second District Court Commissioner nominating committee submits the following names for public comment: Keith M. Backman, Jonathan L. Felt, and Brandon R. Richards. Anyone wishing to make a comment regarding the following in relation to the potential appointment of the Domestic Relations Commissioner position may do so within the next ten (10) days by sending an email to glenp@u tcourts.gov.

# # #

Posted: April 10, 2025

JUSTICE COURT JUDGE SELECTION MEETING PLANNED FOR HYRUM

Hyrum, Utah—The Hyrum Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on April 15, 2025 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Hyrum, Utah. The position will replace Judge Paul Larsen who will retire in June. The Commission will begin the meeting at 9:00 a.m. in the Hyrum City Hall, which is located at 60 West Main Street in Hyrum, 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.

# # #