Utah Courts Recent Press Notifications

Hyde Park and North Logan, UT—The Cache County Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for a judicial vacancy in the Hyde Park and North Logan Justice Court. The position will replace Judge David Marx who retired effective May 1, 2019.
Following are the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

• Judge Matthew Funk, Judge of Richmond City and Providence City, resident of Richmond
• Matthew Lorz, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of North Logan
• Lyndsay Peterson, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of North Logan

A comment period will be held through June 3, 2019. A final candidate will then be selected by Hyde Park Mayor Sharidean Flint and North Logan Mayor Damon Cann who have 30 days to make an appointment. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Hyde Park City Council and the North Logan City Council. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment. To submit written comments about the candidates, please contact Amy Hernandez at amymh@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Hyde Park and North Logan, UT—The Cache County Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for a judicial vacancy in the Hyde Park and North Logan Justice Court. The position will replace Judge David Marx who retired effective May 1, 2019.
Following are the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

• Judge Matthew Funk, Judge of Richmond City and Providence City, resident of Richmond
• Matthew Lorz, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of North Logan
• Lyndsay Peterson, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of North Logan

A comment period will be held through June 3, 2019. A final candidate will then be selected by Hyde Park Mayor Sharidean Flint and North Logan Mayor Damon Cann who have 30 days to make an appointment. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Hyde Park City Council and the North Logan City Council. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment. To submit written comments about the candidates, please contact Amy Hernandez at amymh@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Provo, UT—The Fourth District Commissioner Nominating Committee has selected three nominees for an upcoming court commissioner vacancy. The successful candidate will replace Commissioner Thomas Patton, who will retire effective July 31, 2019.

The nominees are:

• Jason Fuller, who is a Senior Litigation Attorney for Cordell & Cordell, where he practices family law. Mr. Fuller previously represented low-income clients in protective order and divorce proceedings for Utah Legal Services.
• Marian Ito, who has served as Assistant Attorney General for the Child and Family Support Division at the Utah Attorney General’s Office since 2007. Ms. Ito previously served in the Attorney General’s Litigation Division.
• Wade Taylor, who is a Partner at Nelson, Taylor & Associates, where he practices family law. Mr. Taylor also serves on the Divorce Education for Children Subcommittee and previously practiced in New York City for DeHeng Chen & Chen, specializing in International Business Law.

A comment period will be held through May 23, 2019, after which a final candidate will be selected. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment within 45 days of selection. To submit written comments about the candidates, please contact Mark Urry, Fourth District Trial Court Executive, marku@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Hyde Park and North Logan, UT—The Cache County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on May 15, 2019 to review applications for the vacancy in the Hyde Park and North Logan Justice Court. The successful candidate will replace Judge David Marx who retired effective May 1, 2019. The Commission will begin the meeting at 12 p.m. at 655 East 1300 North Logan, Utah 84341. The meeting will be held in the conference room on the second floor.
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 12 p.m. to 12:30 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 appearing before the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting should contact Amy Hernandez at (801) 578-3809 or amymh@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

# # #

Logan, UT—The Cache County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on May 20, 2019 to review applications for the vacancy in the Logan Justice Court. The successful candidate will replace Judge David Marx who retired effective May 1, 2019. The Commission will begin the meeting at 8 a.m. at the Logan City Office located on 290 North 100 West Logan, Utah 84321. The meeting will be held in the legal conference room on the second floor.
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 a.m. to 8:30 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 appearing before the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting should contact Amy Hernandez at (801) 578-3809 or amymh@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

# # #

Lindon, UT—The Utah County Judicial Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of Judge Brook Sessions to fill the Lindon City Justice Court vacancy. The position replaces Judge Brent Bullock who retired effective Feb. 28, 2019.

Judge Brook Sessions was appointed to the Wasatch County Justice Court in Aug., 2015. Judge Sessions graduated from Orem High School and attended Utah State University where he majored in business with a specialization in finance and a minor in economics. After graduating from Utah State, he attended law school at the University of Oregon, graduating in 1991 with a
J. D. degree. Judge Sessions then worked as a clerk for a Circuit Court Judge in Oregon before returning to Utah where he has worked in private practice since 1992. He has represented parties in a wide variety of cases and facilitated case resolution as a mediator. Judge Sessions is admitted in all State and Federal Courts in Utah and in the Courts in Oregon. He is or has been a
member of the Utah State Bar, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the American Bar Association, and the Utah Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to serving on the bench, Judge Sessions is a family law mediator.

# # #

Pleasant Grove, UT—The Utah County Judicial Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of Judge Randy B. Birch to fill the Pleasant Grove City Justice Court vacancy. The position replaces Judge Brent Bullock who retired effective February 28, 2019.
Judge Randy B. Birch was appointed to the Heber City Justice Court in Sept., 2010. He received a B.A. from Utah State University and a J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law. Judge Birch has been an active member of the Utah State Bar since 1984. He served as a screening panel member of the Utah State Bar Ethics Committee, as a member of Utah Association for Justice, and as a board member of the Utah Association Criminal Defense Lawyers (UACDL). He has practiced law for over 34 years, focusing on construction-related commercial law and criminal defense. He practiced law in Salt Lake City, and served as in-house counsel with a federal contractor. He currently maintains a solo practice in Heber City. He often speaks on construction and collection-related subjects and has written numerous articles for several publications and local newspapers, covering a wide range of topics. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Birch served over 25 years as a small claims judge in Salt Lake and Summit counties. In 2007, he prepared materials and taught substantive law portions of the training for the Administrative Offices of the Court (AOC) for Justice Court judges and the judges pro tempore. He appeared and presented training materials in videos for the AOC. He is a member of the bar of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, the
U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and since 2001, the bar of the United State Supreme Court.

# # #

Bryce, UT — A panel of judges is scheduled to meet on May 10, 2019, to hear testimony to determine whether reasonable cause exists to call a grand jury. The meeting will take place at Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn, located at 26 S Main St, Bryce, Utah 84764.
Those wanting to testify before the panel of judges should contact Michael C. Drechsel, Associate General Counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts, at (801) 578-3821 by Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment. If no appointments are scheduled by that time, 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 whether 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 regarding the Grand Jury panel of judges is available at the Utah Court’s website or in the Utah Code.

# # #

Salt Lake City, UT—The Salt Lake County Nominating Commission has selected five nominees for a judicial vacancy in the Salt Lake City Justice Court. The position will replace Judge L.G. Cutler who retired effective Feb. 28, 2019.
Following are the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

• Matthew Barraza, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City
• Remington “Jiro” Johnson, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Cottonwood Heights
• Katherine Peters, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City
• Heather Thuet, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City
• Jenifer Tomchak, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Salt Lake City

A comment period will be held through April 19, 2019. A final candidate will then be selected by Salt Lake City Mayor, Jackie Biskupski, who has 30 days to make an appointment. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Salt Lake City Council. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment. To submit written comments about the candidates, please contact Amy Hernandez at amymh@utcourts.gov.

# # #

WHAT: The Utah Supreme Court periodically holds court sessions in other locations to provide an opportunity to enhance public understanding of the court’s work and to give law students with an opportunity to see the Supreme Court in session.
Cases to be heard are as follows:

10:00 a.m. Vega v. Jordan Valley Medical, Case No. 20170866-SC
10:45 a.m. State v. Grunwald, Case No. 20180459-SC

WHEN: Monday, March 18, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. to approx. 12:00 p.m.

WHERE: J. Reuben Clark Law School moot courtroom, Brigham Young University

WHO: Utah Supreme Court Justices: Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant, Associate Chief Justice Thomas R. Lee, Justice Deno Himonas, Justice John Pearce, and Justice Paige Petersen will sit on the first case. Justice Petersen is recused in the second case. Seventh District Judge Douglas Thomas will sit in stead.

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Fox13 is TV Pool. To request to be the Still Pool photographer, contact Geoffrey Fattah at (801) 578-3994 by March 15.

# # #