Utah Courts Recent Press Notifications

Plain City, UT—The Weber County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on June 8, 2017, to select candidates for the vacancy in the Plain City Justice Court to replace Judge James Beesley who will retire effective July 1, 2017. The commission will begin the meeting at 1 p.m. in the City Council Chambers located on 4160 West 2200 North in Plain City.

The early portion of the meeting is scheduled for public comment about issues facing the Utah judiciary and refinements or improvements to the system. Public comments will be accepted from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Following the public hearing, the meeting is closed to allow commission members to select a slate of three to five candidates for the vacancy.

Individuals interested in appearing before the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting should contact Melisse Stiglich at (801) 578-3844 to request an appointment. Information on the Justice Court Nominating Commission members is available at legacy.utcourts.gov.

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Alta, UT—The Salt Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on June 12, 2017, to select candidates for the vacancy in the Town of Alta Justice Court to replace Judge Clinton Balmforth who retired effective March 31, 2017. The commission will begin the meeting at 9 a.m. in the City Council Chambers located in the Alta Library/Community Center on 10351 East Highway 210 in Alta.

The early portion of the meeting is scheduled for public comment about issues facing the Utah judiciary and refinements or improvements to the system. Public comments will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Following the public hearing, the meeting is closed to allow commission members to select a slate of three to five candidates for the vacancy.

Individuals interested in appearing before the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting should contact Melisse Stiglich at (801) 578-3844 to request an appointment. Information on the Justice Court Nominating Commission members is available at legacy.utcourts.gov.

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Orderville, Utah—Applications are being accepted for a Justice Court judge position in Orderville. The position will replace Judge Steven Wallace who will retire effective Oct. 17, 2017.

To be considered for a Justice Court judgeship in Kane 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 minimum of a high school diploma or GED. In addition, candidates must be a resident of the county in which the court is located—or an adjacent county—for at least six months.

Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s website at legacy.utcourts.gov. An application for judicial office form must be completed and is available on the court’s website (legacy.utcourts.gov/admin/jobs). Please note that the application has been updated since June 2016. The annual salary range for the position is $6,500.00 to $7,000.00 with no benefits. For additional information about Orderville, contact Carol Lamb at (435) 648-2534.

The deadline for applications is Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to the attention of Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114-0241. For an application or more information, email melisses@utcourts.gov.

Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit three to five nominees to the Mayor of Orderville, Merlin Esplin, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Esplin then has 30 days in which to make a selection. The selection must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

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Alta, Utah—Applications are being accepted for a Justice Court judge position in the Town of Alta. The position will replace Judge Clinton Balmforth who retired effective March 31, 2017.

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, candidates must be a resident of the county in which the court is located—or an adjacent county—for at least six months.

Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s website at legacy.utcourts.gov under employment opportunities. An application for judicial office form must be completed and is available on the court’s website. Please note that the application has been updated since June 2016. The annual salary for the position is $4,100.00 without benefits. For additional information, contact Piper Lever at (801) 742-2407 or by email at plever@townofalta.com.

The deadline for applications is Friday May 19, 2017 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to the attention of Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114-0241. For an application or more information, email melisses@utcourts.gov.

Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit three to five nominees to the Mayor of the Town of Alta, Tom Pollard, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Pollard then has 30 days in which to make a selection. The selection must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

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Salt Lake City, UT — Utah Supreme Court Justice, and former Chief Justice, Christine M. Durham submitted a letter today to Governor Gary R. Herbert, informing him that she will be retiring later this year after 35 years of service on the Supreme Court bench.

“We are deeply grateful for Justice Christine Durham’s extraordinary service to the Utah Supreme Court and the citizens of Utah,” said Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant. “She is a brilliant jurist, a wonderful colleague, and a truly remarkable human being. Justice Durham has been an inspiration not only to lawyers and judges here in Utah, but nationally as well. I cannot overstate just how profoundly her contributions have helped to build a court system that has come to be recognized as a national model.”

Justice Durham made history in 1982 by becoming the first female supreme court justice in Utah, and made history again in 2002 when she was elected as Utah’s first supreme court chief justice.

“My service on the bench has been a privilege and a joy. It will be hard to leave all of the fine judges and wonderful staff with whom I have worked. I look forward to savoring the remaining months with my wonderful colleagues on the Supreme Court,” Justice Durham said.

Her last day on the bench will be Nov. 16, 2017.

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Plain City, Utah—Applications are being accepted for a Justice Court judge position in Plain City. The position will replace Judge James Beesley who will retire effective July 1, 2017.

To be considered for a Justice Court judgeship in Weber 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, candidates must be a resident of the county in which the court is located—or an adjacent county—for at least six months.

Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s website at legacy.utcourts.gov under employment opportunities. An application for judicial office form must be completed and is available on the court’s website. Please note that the application has been updated since June 2016. The annual salary range for the position is $4,867.50 to $8,761.50 without benefits. For additional information, contact Diane Hirschi at (801) 731-4908 or by email at dianeh@plaincityutah.org.

The deadline for applications is Friday May 19, 2017 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to the attention of Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114-0241. For an application or more information, email melisses@utcourts.gov.

Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit three to five nominees to the Mayor of Plain City, Bruce Higley, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Higley then has 30 days in which to make a selection. The selection must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

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Brigham City, UT — A panel of judges is scheduled to meet on May 11, 2017, to hear testimony to determine whether reasonable cause exists to call a grand jury. The meeting will take place at the Brigham City Courthouse, 81 N. Main Street, #103, Brigham City, Box Elder County.

Those wanting to testify before the panel of judges should contact District Court Administrator Debra Moore at (801) 578-3800 by May 1, 2017, to schedule an appointment. If no appointments are scheduled by May 1, 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 is available at http://legacy.utcourts.gov/cal/grandjury.
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St. George, UT — Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Durrant announced today the appointment of Richard H. Schwermer as the Utah State Courts’ new State Court Administrator.

The announcement was made during today’s meeting of the Utah Judicial Council. Chief Justice Durrant also noted the decision was made with unanimous concurrence of the other justices of the Utah Supreme Court.

“Rick Schwermer is a dedicated court administrator with many years of proven experience,” Durrant said. “After a four-month national search, we determined that the best person for the job was already working for us.”

Schwermer has served with the Utah State Courts since 1990, and as Assistant State Court Administrator since 1995. Among other duties, he has served as the judiciary’s representative to the Utah Legislature; coordinated the development, funding, and certification of Utah’s drug courts and other problem solving courts; and served as Utah’s Justice Court Administrator.

“I am honored and incredibly appreciative of the confidence shown in me by the Utah Supreme Court. Utah’s judiciary, including this Administrative Office, are consistently regarded as the finest in the country. I commit to working with our exceptional staff, judges, and partners to build upon that reputation for excellence,” Schwermer said.

A search for a new State Court Administrator began shortly after current court administrator Dan Becker announced last October he would be retiring after 21 years of service.

Schwermer obtained his undergraduate degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. His first day as State Court Administrator will be May 1.

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

Judge McIff is currently the Justice Court judge in the Sevier County, Piute County and Fairview City Justice Courts. He is also 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. Judge 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 Resides in Richfield with his wife and two daughters.

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

Judge McIff is currently the Justice Court judge in the Sevier County, Piute County and Fairview City Justice Courts. He is also 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, Utah, and a juris doctorate degree (1998) from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Judge 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.

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