Garfield County, UT— The Garfield County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of the Gary Owens to fill the Garfield County Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge Russell B. Bulkley who will retire effective March 31, 2016.

Owens is a lifelong resident of Garfield County. He and his wife, Karla, are the parents of four children and grandparents of nine grandchildren. Gary has loved the opportunity to live, work and play in rural Utah. Mr. Owens is retired from the State of Utah Rode Crew and currently works as a real estate agent, a part-time truck driver and is an owner of Karla’s Diner.

His appointment to the bench is subject to completion of the court’s new judge orientation and certification by the Utah Judicial Council.

Farmington, UT— The Davis County Nominating Commission has announced the appointment of the John Carl Ynchausti to fill the Davis County Justice Court vacancy. The position will replace Judge Jerald L. Jensen, who resigned on October 30, 2015.

Ynchausti has served as a prosecutor for almost 20 years, and is currently the Bountiful Assistant City Attorney and Prosecutor. Ynchausti received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Italian from the University of Utah and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho. Ynchausti has worked as a law clerk for Judge James J. May in Sun Valley, Idaho, and has worked as a civil practitioner in the fields of adoption, employment law, family law and general litigation. Ynchausti has served on several Utah State Bar committees, has been a mediator for the Utah Industrial Commission’s Anti-Discrimination Division, and is a member of the Rex E. Lee American Inn of Court. For almost 25 years he has been appointed by the Second District Court to represent patients in the civil commitment process and also serves as an Instructor on the topic of civil commitment for the Davis County Crisis Intervention Team program.

Ynchausti’s appointment to the bench is subject to completion of the court’s new judge orientation and certification by the Utah Judicial Council.

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Kanab, UT—The Kane County Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for an upcoming vacancy at the Kane County Justice Court. The position will replace Judge F. Kirk Heaton who will retire effective June 30, 2016.

Following are the nominees followed by place of employment and residence:
• Alan Carl Johnson; South Central Communications OSP Engineer; Panguitch
• Gary Lowell Johnson; Judge Pro Tem for Kane County Justice Court; Kanab
• Terry Donald Lee; Terry Lee Investigations; Cedar City

A comment period will be held through March 29, 2016, before a final candidate is selected by the Kane County Commission Chair, who has 30 days to make an appointment. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Kane County Commission. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment. To submit written comments about the candidates, contact Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts, melisses@utcourts.gov.
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Kane County, UT — The Kane County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on March 15, 2016, to select a candidate for the Kane County Justice Court to replace Judge F. Kirk Heaton who will retire effective June 30, 2016. The commission will begin the meeting at 1:30 p.m. at the Kane County Commission Chambers on 76 North Main Street in Kanab.

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 are being accepted from 1:30 p.m. to 2 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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Salt Lake City, UT — Utah State Court judges and administrators took time to honor the passing this past weekend of a long-time leader of Utah’s judicial system.

Judge James Z. Davis was appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals by Gov. Michael O. Leavitt in November 1993. He served two terms as presiding judge of the court of appeals and retired in November 2015. He was the first judge appointed to the court of appeals who was not among the original appointees when the court was organized in 1987.

“The Court of Appeals family will miss our beloved colleague and friend, Judge Jim Davis. He was a towering presence with a personality to match,” said Utah Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Fred Voros. “His legal learning, common sense, and practical wisdom allowed him to cut right to the heart of even a complex case.”

“It was my pleasure to serve with Jim Davis for nearly 22 years,” said Utah Court of Appeals Associate Presiding Judge Gergory Orme. “He was a great guy and a treasured colleague. His thorough preparation, consistently hard work, and keen sense of humor were the hallmarks of his service on the court. He will truly be missed.”

In addition to his distinguished service on the Utah Court of Appeals, Judge Davis had a long and exemplary career in law. He received his law degree from the University of Utah College of Law in 1968. He served in military intelligence in the U.S. Army until 1970. Judge Davis was in private practice from 1971 to 1977, served as Deputy Weber County Attorney and Weber County Police Legal Advisor from 1973 to 1982, was a partner in Thatcher, Glasmann & Davis from 1977 to 1982, and a shareholder and director at Ray, Quinney & Nebeker from 1982 until his appointment to the bench. Judge Davis was president of the Utah State Bar from 1991 to 1992, served as Bar representative on the Utah Judicial Council, and was also selected by the court of appeals on three occasions to serve as that court’s representative on the Utah Judicial Council.

In 2014, Judge Davis received the Lifetime Service Award from the Utah State Bar.

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Fairview, Utah—Applications are being accepted for a Justice Court judge position in Fairview City. The position will replace Judge Ivo Peterson who will retire effective July 1, 2016.

To be considered for the 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 earned 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 under employment opportunities. An application for judicial office form must be completed and is available on the court’s website. The annual salary for the position is $4,763.76 without benefits. For additional information, contact David Taylor at (435) 427-3858.

The deadline for applications is March 15, 2016 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, or faxed to (801) 238-7828. 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 Fairview, Jeffrey Cox, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Cox then has 30 days in which to make a selection. The selection must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

Judicial Vacancy-Fairview Justice Court Extended

Panguitch, UT—The Garfield County Nominating Commission has selected three nominees for an upcoming vacancy at the Garfield County Justice Court. The position will replace Judge Russell B. Bulkley, who will retire effective March 31st, 2016.

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

• Alan Carl Johnson, South Central Communications OSP Engineer; Panguitch
• Gary Dene Owens, D&B Real Estate, Bob Orton Trucking and Karla’s Diner owner; Panguitch
• Honorable Timothy Byrne Smith, Panguitch City Justice Court Judge, Garfield Memorial Hospital Director of Pharmacy; Panguitch

A comment period will be held through March 2nd, 2016, before a final candidate is selected by the Garfield County Commission Chair, who has 30 days to make an appointment. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Garfield County Commission. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment. To submit written comments about the candidates, contact Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts, melisses@utcourts.gov.

Garfield County Justice Court Nominees

Salt Lake City —The Utah State Courts are planning the 11th Annual “Judge for a Day,” program in recognition of Law Day, which will be celebrated on May 2, 2016. On May 1, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed the first Law Day as a day of national dedication to the principle of government under law.

Utah high school students are selected to participate in the program based on an essay, civic involvement resume or teacher nomination letter. For students who choose to write an essay the Law Day theme is “Miranda: More than Words.”  The words, “you have a right to remain silent,” have become ingrained in popular U.S. culture, but there is more to these constitutional protections. The Law Day theme allows an opportunity to explore a citizen’s rights when taken into police custody.

Students selected to participate in the program will be paired with a judge in one of the state’s eight judicial districts for one day in either April or May. The students will be given a behind-the-scenes look at court operations, which include observing court proceedings and a judge at work.

Students are asked to submit an application form by March 14, 2015. Application forms and additional information are available on the court’s Web site at legacy.utcourts.gov/media/lawday.

Judge for a Day Flyer_2016

Judge for a Day-Submission Form_2016

Judge for a Day_2015

Farmington, Utah—The Davis County Nominating Commission has selected five nominees for an upcoming vacancy at the Davis County Justice Court. The position will replace Judge Jerald L. Jensen.

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

• Richard Lamont Larsen, J.D., Davis County Attorney’s Office, resident of Kaysville
• Trent Dee Nelson, J.D. MBA, attorney at law, Roy City prosecutor, resident of Kaysville
• Brandon Lynn Poll, J.D., Davis County Attorney’s Office, Centerville City prosecutor, Clinton City prosecutor, North Salt Lake City prosecutor, resident of South Weber
• Colin Reed Winchester, J.D., executive director of the Judicial Conduct Commission, resident of Clinton
• John Carl Ynchausti, J.D., Bountiful City Assistant City Attorney, resident of Bountiful

A comment period will be held through Feb. 24, 2016, before a final candidate is selected by the Davis County Commission Chair, who has 30 days to make an appointment. The appointment is subject to ratification by the Davis County Commission. The Utah Judicial Council must then certify the appointment. To submit written comments about the candidates, contact Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts,melisses@utcourts.gov.

Davis County Justice Court Nominees

JUSTICE JOHN PEARCE TO TAKE OATH OF OFFICE

WHAT:      Investiture Ceremony for John A. Pearce as a justice for the Utah Supreme Court

WHO:         The Honorable Matthew B. Durrant, Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, will administer the oath of office. Presenters include Governor Gary Herbert and Jennifer Napier-Pearce.

WHEN:      Friday, January 29 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE:    Utah Supreme Courtroom, Scott M. Matheson Courthouse, 5^th floor.

Note: Due to a large number of attendees anticipated, we will be accepting media pool requests for stills, TV, and radio. Please email requests to: geofff@utcourts.gov