Author: Utah Courts

Salt Lake City, Utah—Applications are being accepted for justice court judges pro tempore. This position is considered voluntary without compensation. The judge pro tempore will oversee the small claims cases for the Salt Lake City Justice Court.

To be considered for this position, 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 been admitted to the practice of law in Utah for a minimum of four years.

Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s website at www.utcourts.gov under employment opportunities. A small claims judge pro tempore application must be completed and is available on the court’s website (www.utcourts.gov/admin/jobs). For application information, contact Dee Dee Sonntag at (801) 578-3820 or by email at doriss@utcourts.gov. For scheduling and other court-specific information, contact Tammy Shelton at Tammy.Shelton@slcgov.com.

The deadline for applications is Monday, February 12, 2024, at 5 p.m. All completed applications should be emailed to doriss@utcourts.gov. If appointed, a judge pro tempore shall complete a small claims orientation program within one year after appointment and thereafter complete at least three hours of small claims education annually.

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Provo, Utah — The next regularly scheduled meeting of Utah’s grand jury panel of judges will be on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at the Provo 4th District Courthouse, located at137 N Freedom Blvd Provo UT 84601.1

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 (801) 238-7547 by Tuesday, January 2, 2024, 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 Matthew Bell, 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

Summit County, Utah—The Summit County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on November 30, 2023 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Summit County. The position will replace Judge Shauna Kerr who will retire in January. The  Commission will begin the meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the Summit County Sheldon Richins Building, which is located at 1885 West Ute Boulevard in Park City, 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 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 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 should contact Jim Peters at (801) 578-3824 or  jamesp@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

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Provo, Utah—The Provo Judicial Nominating Commission has selected four nominees for a justice court judge position that will serve Provo, Utah. The final candidate will replace Judge Rick Romney who will retire next month.

Following is an alphabetical listing of the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

∙ Richard T. Kennerley, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Orem,

∙ Stephen H. Schreiner, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Springville,

∙ Spencer Thomas, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Spanish Fork, and

∙ Bob Trombly, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Orem.

A comment period will be held through November 24, 2023. Once application materials are  provided to the Provo City Mayor, she will have 30 days to make a final selection. Her selection must then be ratified by the Provo City Council. To submit written comments about any of the candidates, please email James Peters, Justice Court Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

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Provo, Utah—The Provo Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on October 31, 2023 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Provo, Utah. The  position will replace Judge Rick Romney who will retire in December. The meeting will be held at Provo City Hall located at 445 West Center Street in Provo, Utah 84601.

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 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 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 should contact Jim Peters at (801) 578-3824 or  jamesp@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

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Utah County, Utah—The Utah County Nominating Commission has selected four nominees for a justice court judge position that will serve Utah County, Utah. The final candidate will replace Judge Stevan Ridge who retired last year.

Following is an alphabetical listing of the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:

• Randy Birch, J.D., Justice Court Judge for Heber and Pleasant Grove, resident of  Heber,
• Shaynie R. Hunter, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Elk Ridge,
• John H. Jacobs, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Alpine, and
• Richard T. Kennerley, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Orem.

A comment period will be held through November 2, 2023. Once application materials are provided to the Utah County Commission, it will have 30 days to make a final selection. Their selection must then be ratified by the Utah Judicial Council. To submit written comments about any of the nominees, please email James Peters, Justice Court Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

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Utah County, Utah—The Utah County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on October 5, 2023 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Utah County. The position will replace Judge Stevan Ridge who retired last year. The Commission will begin the meeting at 3:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the law offices located at 120 East 300 North in 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 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 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 submitting oral or written commentary to the commission during the public comment portion of the meeting should contact Jim Peters at (801) 578-3824 or  jamesp@utcourts.gov to request an appointment.

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Park City, Utah — The next regularly scheduled meeting of Utah’s grand jury panel of judges will be on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at the Park City 3rd District Courthouse, located at 6300 Justice Center Road, Park City UT.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 Monday, October 2, 2023, 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 Matthew Bell, 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/calgrandjury

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

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Summit County, Utah—Applications are being accepted for a justice court judge who will serve Summit County, Utah. The position will replace Judge Shauna Kerr who will retire in December.

To be considered for a justice court judgeship in Summit 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, applicants must be a resident of Summit County, an adjacent county, or the judicial district in which the justice court is located either upon appointment or within a reasonable time following 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 $122,628 to $157,664 per year and includes benefits. For additional information about working for Summit County, email David Warnock, Director of Personnel Management for Summit County, at dwarnock@summitcounty.org.

The deadline for applications is Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5 p.m. and should be sent to the  attention of Jim Peters, Administrative Office of the Courts, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake City,  UT, 84114-0241. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. For questions about the justice courts or the process for filling this position, email Jim Peters, Justice Court  Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.

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

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Grantsville, Utah—The Grantsville Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for the  justice court judge position that will serve Grantsville, Utah. The final candidate will replace Judge  Ron Elton who retired this month. 

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

∙ Judge Bryan J. Memmott, J.D., Justice Court Judge for Plain City, South Ogden, South  Weber, Uintah/Huntsville and Woods Cross, resident of Fruit Heights,  

∙ Jaime D. Topham, J.D., Attorney at Law, resident of Grantsville, and  

∙ Colin R. Winchester, J.D., retired, resident of Tooele.  

A comment period will be held through September 29, 2023. A final candidate will then be  selected by the Grantsville City Mayor, Neil A. Critchlow, within 30 days. His selection must then  be ratified by the Grantsville City Council. To submit written comments about any of the  candidates, please email James Peters, Justice Court Administrator, at jamesp@utcourts.gov.  

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