Utah Courts Recent Press Notifications

Herriman and Riverton, UT—The Salt Lake County Nominating Commission has selected an additional nominee for judicial vacancies that will serve Herriman and Riverton, Utah. The vacancy in Herriman results from the resignation of Judge Paul Farr in April. The vacancy in Riverton results from the retirement of Judge Greg Bown in July. The cities may select one nominee to fill both vacancies or they may select a different nominee for each  vacancy.

The following is the name of the nominee followed by place of employment and residence:

• Judge Christopher Bown, J.D., Taylorsville City Justice Court Judge, resident of  Riverton.

A special comment period will be held through December 31, 2022. A final candidate will then be selected by Lorin Palmer, the mayor of Herriman, and Trent Staggs, the mayor of  Riverton, within 30 days. The selection must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council.  To submit written comments about the candidates, please contact Amy Hernandez at  amymh@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Blanding, UT—The San Juan County Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for the judicial vacancy that will serve Blanding, Utah. The position will replace Judge  Lyon Hazleton who will resign at the end of December.

Following are the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

• Trenton Herring, Chief Operating Officer for Blue Mountain Hospital, resident of Blanding,

• Kelly Laws, previous Blanding City Councilman, resident of Blanding, and • Judge Danalee Welch-O’Donnal, Grand County Justice Court Judge, resident of Moab.

A comment period will be held through December 31, 2022. A final candidate will then be selected by Logan Monson, the mayor of Blanding, within 30 days. The selection must then  be certified by the Utah Judicial Council. To submit written comments about the candidates,  please contact Amy Hernandez at amymh@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Blanding, UT—The San Juan County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on December 20, 2022 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Blanding, Utah. The position will replace Judge Lyon Hazleton who will resign in December. The Commission will begin the meeting at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Blanding City Offices (50 W 100 S in Blanding, UT 84511).

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 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 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.

# # #

Vernal, Utah – During the last two and a half years, many of the State Courts’ hearings have been held virtually.  Currently, many hearings are back to being held in person, but we anticipate that others will continue to be held online through Webex.

In order to provide increased access to the Courts, the 8th District would like to announce that we have installed kiosks in the Vernal Courthouse that can be used by the public.  These kiosks will allow you to connect to your hearing in the 8th District or in any District in the State where you may have a case.  We hope this will provide a service to those without internet access or those who would prefer to come to the courthouse.

We anticipate that by the first of the calendar year, kiosks will be available in Roosevelt, Duchesne and Daggett as well.  In order to access the kiosks please talk with a Judicial Assistant at one of the Clerical Counters.

Brigham City, Utah — The next regularly scheduled meeting of Utah’s grand jury panel of judges will be on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at the Brigham City 1st District Courthouse, located at 243 North Main, Brigham City, UT 84302-0873.¹

The purpose of the meeting is to hear testimony, if any, to determine whether a grand jury should be summoned based upon evidence of criminal activity. The panel of judges will hear, in secret, individuals claiming information that justifies calling a grand jury. Individuals appearing before the panel of judges will be placed under oath. An individual who testifies must be prepared to provide evidence to support a claim that justifies calling a grand jury. 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. Controversies between individual parties, civil matters, and matters that are subject to criminal appeal will not be considered.

Those wanting to testify before the panel of judges should contact Keri Sargent, Assistant District Court Administrator, Administrative Office of the Courts, at (435) 633-5549 by Friday, December 30, 2022, at noon, to schedule an appointment and arrange to receive further specific instructions. Any individual needing special accommodation during the hearing must notify panel staff at least three business days prior to the hearing. If no appointments are scheduled by the appointed time, the meeting will be canceled without further notice.

The current members of the grand jury panel of judges are: Supervising Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills, 3rd District Court; Senior Judge Lynn W. Davis, 4th District Court; Judge Angela Fonnesbeck, 1st District Court; Judge Eric A. Ludlow, 5th District Court; and Judge Paul Parker, 3rd District Court. Additional information regarding the grand jury panel of judges is available at the Utah Court’s website² or in the Utah Code.³

1 Utah’s grand jury statute requires a panel of judges selected from throughout the state to hold a hearing in each judicial district every three years.

2 http://www.utcourts.gov/cal/grandjury

3 https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title77/Chapter10A/77-10a-S2.html?v=C77-10a-S2_2018050820180508

# # #

Herriman and Riverton, UT—The Salt Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on November 30, 2022 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Herriman and Riverton, Utah. The vacancy in Herriman results from the resignation of Judge Paul Farr in April. The vacancy in Riverton results from the retirement of Judge Greg Bown in July. The Commission will begin the meeting at 7:30 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Matheson Courthouse (450 South State Street, SLC, UT 84111).

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 8:00 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.

# # #

Springville and Mapleton, UT—The Utah County Nominating Commission has selected four nominees for a judicial vacancy that will serve Springville and Mapleton, Utah. The position will replace Judge Sherlynn Fenstermaker who will retire in December.

Following are the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

• Judge Randy Birch, J.D., Judge of Heber City Justice Court and Pleasant Grove Justice Court, resident of Heber City,

• Shaynie Hunter, J.D., attorney at law, resident of Elk Ridge,

• Judge Eric Jewell, J.D., Judge of Payson City Justice Court and the Santaquin, Genola, and Goshen Justice Court, resident of Payson, and

• Grant Sumsion, J.D., attorney at law, resident of Springville.

A comment period will be held through November 18, 2022. A final candidate will then be selected by Matt Packard, the mayor of Springville, and Dallas Hakes, the mayor of Mapleton, within 30 days. The selection must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council. To submit written comments about the candidates, please contact Amy Hernandez at  amymh@utcourts.gov.

# # #

Springville and Mapleton, UT—The Utah County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on October 27, 2022, to review applications for a justice court judge  position that will serve Springville and Mapleton, Utah. The position will replace Judge Sherlynn Fenstermaker who will retire in December. The Commission will begin the meeting at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Howard Lewis & Petersen, PC building (120 East 300 North  Provo, Utah 84606).

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 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 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.

# # #

Blanding, Utah— The deadline for applications for a justice court judge position in Blanding has been extended. The position will replace Judge Lyon Hazleton who will resign in December.

To be considered for a justice court judgeship in San Juan 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 earned a high school diploma or GED. In addition, candidates must be a resident of San Juan County or an adjacent county for at least six months immediately preceding appointment.

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 (legacy.utcourts.gov/admin/jobs).  The current budgeted salary for the position starts at $17,594 per year for approximately 8 hours a week, with a range of $17,594 – $31,669, and does not include benefits. For additional information, contact David Johnson at djohnson@blanding-ut.gov.

The deadline for applications is Monday, November 7, 2022 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to  the attention of Amy Hernandez, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114-0241. For an application or information, email amymh@utcourts.gov.

Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit its nominees to the mayor of Blanding, Logan Monson, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Monson will then have 30  days in which to make a selection. His selection must then be ratified by the Blanding City  Council and certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

# # #

Sanpete County, Utah—The deadline for applications for a justice court judge position in Sanpete County has been extended. The position will replace Judge John R. Cox who will retire in December.

To be considered for a justice court judgeship in Sanpete 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 earned a high school diploma or GED. In addition, candidates must be a resident of SanpeteCounty or an adjacent county for at least six months immediately preceding appointment.

Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s  website at www.utcourts.gov under employment opportunities. An application for judicial office form must be completed and is available on the court’s website (www.utcourts.gov/admin/jobs). The salary range for the position is $17,594 to $31,669 per year. For additional information, contact Stacey Lyon at slyon@sanpetecountyutah.gov.

The deadline for applications is Monday, November 1, 2022 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to the  attention of Amy Hernandez, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake  City, UT, 84114-0241. For an application or information, email amymh@utcourts.gov.

Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit its nominees to the Sanpete  County Commission within 45 days of its first meeting. The Sanpete County Commission will then have 30 days in which to make a selection. The selection must then be certified by the Utah  Judicial Council.

# # #