Utah Court Rules – Published for Comment – Page 3 – The Supreme Court and Judicial Council invite comments about amending these rules. To view the proposed amendment, click on the rule number. To submit a comment or view the comments of others, click on “Continue Reading.” To submit a comment, scroll down to the “Leave a Reply” section, and type your comment in the “Comment” field. Type your name and email address in the designated fields and click “Post Comment.” Comments cannot be acknowledged, but all will be considered. Comments are saved to a buffer for review before publication.

Posted: August 20, 2025

Rules of Appellate Procedure – Comment Period Closed October 6, 2025

URAP011. The record on appeal. Amend. The Committee proposes amending Rule 11 to remove paragraphs (d) and (e). Parties do not use paragraph (d) and paragraph (e) creates a difficult procedure with a short deadline for appellees served with an appellant’s prepared statement or recollection.

URAP038A. Withdrawal of counsel. Amend. The Committee proposes amending Rule 38A to: 1) add that an attorney may not withdraw from a case if there is a motion pending in the appellate court; and 2) clean up language for clarity and consistency.

URAP55A. Motion to remand for findings necessary to determination of ineffective assistance of counsel claim. New. The Committee proposes the creation of Rule 55A to add a procedure for filing a motion to remand for ineffective assistance of counsel claims in child welfare cases.

Posted: August 20, 2025

Rules of Juvenile Procedure – Comment Period Closed October 6, 2025

URJP015. Preliminary inquiry; informal adjustment without petition. Amend. The proposed change to Rule 15(d) is in response to Senate Bill 157 (2025), which amended Utah Code section 80-6-304 to require probation officers to inform minors of their right to consult counsel and how to access counsel before declining a nonjudicial adjustment.

Posted: July 22, 2025

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed September 5, 2025

CJA03-407. Accounting (AMEND)
The Board of Justice Court Judges voted to adopt the Court’s Accounting Manual as the standard for all justice courts. The proposed amendments: 1) broaden the scope of the manual to include justice courts; 2) add two members of the Justice Court Education Committee to the Accounting Manual Review Committee; and 3) make non-substantive formatting changes.

Posted: July 11, 2025

Rules of Juvenile Procedure – Comment Period Closed August 25, 2025

URJP034. Pre-trial hearing in non-delinquency cases. Amend. In response to In re J.M., 2024 UT App 147, the proposed amendments to Rule 34 include: (1) stylistic and grammatical changes that aim to provide clarity; (2) in paragraph (c), articulation of the court’s process in informing respondents of their rights and potential consequences upon adjudication of the petition; (3) a proposal to remove the language in (d)–this language is contained in Rule 19–and replace it with the capture of a respondent’s answer in open court; (4) in paragraph (e), when a respondent declines to admit or deny the allegations, the respondent can proceed with an “uncontested answer;” (5) paragraph (f) directs the court to find that admissions or uncontested answers and waiver of rights are knowing and voluntary; (6) and in paragraph (g), provide a mechanism to respondents seeking relief from admissions or uncontested answers.

Posted: July 10, 2025

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed August 25, 2025

CJA03-402. Human resources administration. (AMEND)
Clarifies that the Grievance Review Panel has the authority to review adverse employment actions taken against career service employees and updates the list of adverse employment actions.

Posted: June 23, 2025

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed August 7, 2025

CJA03-201.Court commissioners (AMEND)
The proposed amendments delegate the authority to approve court commissioner selections to the Management Committee.

CJA03-413.Judicial library resources (AMEND)
The proposed amendments modify which print publications are provided to each district and juvenile courtroom. The amendments are necessary due to significant price increases for print publications and the discontinuation of statewide bulk ordering by Legislative Services.

Posted: June 2, 2025

Rules of Appellate Procedure – Comment Period Closed July 17, 2025

URAP003. Appeal as of right: how taken. The Committee proposes amending Rule 3 to remove language that may cause parties to limit the issues on appeal inadvertently.

URAP029. Oral Argument. The Committee proposes amending Rule 29 to: 1) add a procedure for parties to request to appear remotely in the Supreme Court; 2) add a procedure for parties to request to appear remotely in the Court of Appeals; 3) change the time to file a motion to continue oral argument from 14 days to 7 days; and 4) clean up language and format for clarity and consistency.

Posted: May 20, 2025

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed July 4, 2025

CJA04-202.08. Fees for records, information, and services
The proposed amendments increase fees for Xchange subscriptions and access.

Posted: May 8, 2025

Rules of Evidence – Comment Period Closed June 22, 2025

URE0404. Character evidence; crimes or other acts. Amend. The proposed amendments to the text of the rule are technical rather than substantive in nature. Additionally, a proposed new advisory committee note clarifies that consideration of the Shickles factors is no longer mandatory, but that they may be relevant and properly considered depending on the facts and circumstances of the case.

URE0408. Compromise offers and negotiations. Amend. Proposed amendments to the text of this rule are likewise technical rather than substantive. A proposed new advisory committee note observes that the rule differs from its federal counterpart.

URE0510. Miscellaneous matters. Amend. Proposed amendments to the text of the rule are technical only. It is also proposed that a reference be added to recent legislation substantively amending this rule.

Posted: May 7, 2025

Rules Governing the Utah State Bar – Comment Period Closed June 21, 2025

USB14-1001. IOLTA. Amend. There are multiple amendments to this rule. The amendments clarify the responsibilities related to unclaimed and unidentifiable funds in client trust accounts. The amendments define the obligations of lawyers and law firms when handling unclaimed funds, as well as the duties of the representative of a deceased or incapacitated lawyer’s estate in managing such funds. They also clarify the Utah Bar Foundation’s responsibilities in relation to unclaimed funds. In addition, the amendments address the obligations of lawyers, law firms, estate representatives, and the Utah Bar Foundation concerning unidentifiable funds in client trust accounts. The amendments also encourage the cooperation of IOLTA banking institutions and the Utah Unclaimed Property Division in addressing these issues. Finally, the amendments outline the procedures that the Utah Bar Foundation and the Office of Professional Conduct should follow when dealing with unclaimed and unidentifiable client trust account funds.