Category: Uncategorized

Salt Lake City, UT – Utahns can now search public court records online more easily for a $5 fee by going to xchange.utcourts.gov.

Last year, the Utah Legislature passed HB249, expanding access to Xchange, the state’s online portal to public court records. Now, people can access court records by going to xchange.utcourts.gov and paying a $5 fee, which goes toward searches and documents.

“This significantly enhances your ability to access court records” said Ron Gordon, State Court Administrator. “Our team has been working diligently over the past year to make this tool available to the public.”

Members of the public can create an account or they can log in as a guest.  A valid email address is required. A person will be charged $.20 for each search and $.50 for each document.  Those fees will be deducted from the $5 charged up front. There is no limit on how many times a person can pay the $5 fee. Previously, users had to pay for a monthly subscription to Xchange.

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North Ogden, UT—The Weber County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on February 2, 2022 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve North Ogden, Utah. The position will replace Judge Patrick Lambert who retired in July,  2021. The Commission will begin the meeting at 7:00 a.m. The meeting will be held online through this meeting link:

https://utcourts.webex.com/utcourts/j.php?MTID=mabc2c3cb79c43685581a23d4baf92dbb

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 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 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.

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Stockton, Utah—Applications are being accepted for a justice court judge position that will serve Stockton, Utah. The position will replace Judge Ron E. Powell who will retire in March.

To be considered for a justice court judgeship in Tooele 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 Tooele 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 salary range for the position is $6,145 to $11,060 per year and does not include benefits.

For additional information, contact Laura Mott at (435) 882-3877.

The deadline for applications is Monday, February 14, 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 three to five nominees to the  mayor of Stockton, who will be Nando Meli Jr., within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Meli will then have 30 days in which to make a selection. His selection must then be ratified by the  Stockton Town Council and certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

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Farmington, UT – The Second District Court Commissioner Nominating Committee has selected three nominees for the commissioner position that will serve Davis, Morgan, and Weber counties.  The position will replace T. R. Morgan, who resigned effective January 14, 2022.

The following are the nominees, along with their places of employment and residence:

• Andy Leger, Leger Family Law, Woods Cross
• Wade Taylor, Nelson, Taylor and Associates, Highland
• Julie Winkler, Utah Legal Services, Inc., Ogden

A public comment period will be held through Monday, January 31, 2022.  A final candidate will then be selected by the judges of the Second District Court.  The selection must then be approved by the Utah Judicial Council.

Please submit written comments about the candidates to Lawrence Webster, Trial Court Executive, at larryw@utcourts.gov.

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Salt Lake City, UT – Thomas R. Lee, Associate Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, has announced his retirement. In a letter sent to Governor Spencer Cox on January 19, 2022, Justice Lee said:

“It has been an honor to serve the people of the State of Utah as a member of the Supreme Court. For twelve years, I have been privileged to work with an impressive group of committed, principled colleagues on this court and throughout the judiciary.

I have decided that the time has come for me to pursue other opportunities in the legal profession. I anticipate stepping down from the court on July 31, 2022.”

Justice Lee was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court by Governor Gary Herbert in 2010.  He has a B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago.  Justice Lee currently serves as Associate Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court. He also serves on the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and teaches on a part-time basis as a lecturer in law at BYU, Harvard Law School, and the University of Chicago Law School.

“Associate Chief Justice Lee is an extraordinary jurist and scholar,” said Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant. “I don’t think a single opinion has been issued in a case in which he participated that was not improved by his scholarship, whether or not he was the named author. His work has been brilliant and his commitment to the rule of law unparalleled.”

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Pleasant View, UT—The Weber County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a  meeting on January 24, 2022 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will  serve Pleasant View, Utah. The position will replace Judge Patrick Lambert who retired in July, 2021. The Commission will begin the meeting at 7:00 a.m. The meeting will be held online through this meeting link:

https://utcourts.webex.com/utcourts/j.php?MTID=m08d9fddf4b34fc3c4ed08aba131a2fdd

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 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 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.

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Wellsville, UT—The Cache County Judicial Nominating Commission has scheduled a meeting on January 18, 2022 to review applications for a justice court judge position that will serve Wellsville, Utah. The position will replace Judge Terry Moore who resigned his position in May, 2021. The Commission will begin the meeting at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be held online through this meeting link:

https://utcourts.webex.com/utcourts/j.php?MTID=m38540939043911ddb803a11e87df7a3b

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 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 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.

Salt Lake City, UT – The Utah State Courts want to alert jurors and attorneys that jury trials are still taking place statewide. The Courts are conducting jury trials in compliance with the Utah State Judiciary Risk Phase Response Plan and are taking every possible safety measure including masking and social distancing when trials are held in person.

Jurors and attorneys should continue to appear as scheduled unless they are notified by the Court. Individual judges may be canceling some trials, but they will notify the jurors and other parties if that happens.

There has been some confusion about whether or not jury trials are cancelled.  That is because:

• Salt Lake City Justice Court suspended jury trials
• The U.S. District Court for the District of Utah (Federal) suspended jury trials

However, the federal court order and Salt Lake City justice court order do not affect jury trials happening in state district courts or other county or city justice courts.

The Utah State Courts will continue to carefully monitor COVID-19 case counts and consult with health officials moving forward. If any decision is made to cancel jury trials in the future, we will alert the public and the media immediately.

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Washington Terrace, UT—The Weber County Nominating Commission has selected four nominees for a judicial vacancy that will serve Washington Terrace and Marriott-Slaterville, Utah. The position will replace Judge Patrick Lambert who retired in July.

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

• Emilie Bean, J.D., attorney at law, resident of Washington Terrace,

• Darrin Johns, J.D., attorney at law, resident of North Ogden,

• Judge Bryan Memmott, J.D., Justice Court Judge of the Plains City Justice  Court, the Woods Cross Justice Court, the South Ogden Justice Court, and the  South Weber Justice Court, resident of Fruit Heights, and

• Judge Paul Olds, J.D., Justice Court Judge of the Riverdale City Justice  Court, resident of Pleasant View.

A comment period will be held through December 23, 2021. A final candidate will then be  selected by the Washington Terrace Mayor and the Marriott-Slaterville Mayor, Mayor Mark  Allen and Mayor Scott Van Leeuwen, 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.

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Kanab, Utah — The next regularly scheduled meeting of Utah’s grand jury panel of judges will be on Thursday, January 13, 2022, at the Kane County Courthouse, located at 76 North Main Street, Kanab, UT 84741 (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 matter that are subject to criminal appeal will not be considered.

Due to the continuing public health concerns regarding COVID-19, individuals (including members of the panel of judges) may choose to appear at the meeting remotely using video conferencing software. Individuals who have arranged to testify will appear for individual appointments either: 

• at the courthouse, where panel staff will be present to facilitate the individual’s testimony to the panel of judges (including operating video conferencing software, if necessary); or
• from a location of the individual’s choosing using remote video conferencing software, the details of which will be communicated to the individual by panel staff. 

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 Monday, January 3, 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 W. Brent West, 2nd District Court; Senior Judge Lynn W. Davis, 4th District Court; Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills, 3rd 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 website (2) 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://legacy.utcourts.gov/cal/grandjury

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