September 2023 – Utah Court Rules – Published for Comment

Posted: September 26, 2023

Rules of Appellate Procedure – Comment Period Closed November 10, 2023

URAP004. Appeal as of right: when taken. The Committee has previously sent Rule 4 out for public comment in regards to the following proposed changes to: (1) explain the standard governing a motion to reinstate the time for appeal in a criminal case; (2) restructure paragraph (f) to be consistent with paragraph (g) (addressing reinstating the right to appeal in civil cases); (3) include a one-year deadline from discovery of facts giving rise to the claim; (4) clarify what will be deemed the entry date for an order that is filed on the weekend or on a legal holiday; and (5) clean up language for clarity and consistency.

The Committee has since made additional changes to: (1) requiring a defendant to include in the motion for reinstatement the reasons for filing later than the one year deadline; and (2) clarifying when the time for appeal beings to run when multiple post-judgment motions are decided separately.

URAP027. Form of briefs, motions, and other documents. The Committee proposes amendments to Rule 27 to: (1) provide more detailed guidance for preparing the caption for briefs and to conform the rule to current practice; (2) remove the requirement that opposing counsel be listed on the cover, as this information will be included on a following page; and (3) clarify the requirements for captions on petitions and motions or other documents that are not a brief or petition.

Posted: September 25, 2023

Rules of Juvenile Procedure – Comment Period Closed November 9, 2023

URJP017. The petition. Amend. The proposed amendments to Rule 17 include: updating references to statute as a result of changes enacted by House Bill 60 of the 2023 Legislative Session; changing the proper noun County Attorney or District Attorney to “the office of the county attorney” or “the office of the district attorney”; changing the proper noun Clerk of Court to “court clerk”; and replacing the language “shall” with “must” according to the Supreme Court Style Guide.

Posted: September 19, 2023

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed November 3, 2023

CJA06-0301. Authority of court commissioner as magistrate. (AMEND). Within the bounds of Utah Code section 78A-5-107 and constitutional limitations on the delegation of judicial authority, the proposed amendments broaden commissioners’ magistrate authority. The rule identifies the types of cases and matters court commissioners are authorized to hear and the types of relief and orders they may recommend. The rule also establishes timely judicial review of recommendations and orders made by a court commissioner.

CJA04-0202.08. Fees for records, information, and services. (AMEND). The proposed amendments 1) clarify that personnel time may be charged to copy records, 2) clarify that court appointed attorneys qualify for a fee waiver if they are requesting records on behalf of an indigent client and the client would qualify for a waiver, and 3) add a provision regarding bulk data. Bulk data fees and individual hourly rates removed from the rule would be posted on the court webpage.

CJA04.0202.02. Records classification. (AMEND)

CJA04-0202.03. Records access. (AMEND).

The proposed amendments classify video records of court proceedings, other than security video, as sealed and limit access to 1) official court transcribers for the purposes outlined in Rule 5-202, 2) court employees if needed to fulfill official court duties, and 3) anyone by court order. Individuals denied access may file a motion with the court under Rule 4-202.04.