Utah Courts – Page 3 – Utah Court Rules

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.

Posted: May 2, 2025

Rules Governing Licensed Paralegal Practitioners – Comment Period Closed June 16, 2025

RGLPP15-703. Qualifications for Licensure as a Licensed Paralegal Practitioner. Amend. The proposed amendments to Rule 15-703: (1) changes the educational requirement option for Licensed Paralegal Practitioner licensure from an associate’s degree in paralegal studies to an associate’s degree in any subject plus a paralegal certificate, (2) changes the educational requirement option for Licensed Paralegal Practitioner licensure of a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies to a bachelor’s degree in any subject, and (3) includes general cleanup to add formatting and technical consistency.

Posted: May 1, 2025

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed June 15, 2025

CJA04-202.03. Records access (AMEND)
House Bill 129 amends adopted individuals’ right to access adoption records. Given the scope of the bill, the proposed amendments to rule 4-202.03 refer individuals to the statute to determine access to adoption records maintained by the court.

CJA Appendix A. Justice Court Nominating Commissions Procedure Manual (AMEND)
The proposed amendments to Appendix A of the Code of Judicial Administration update justice court nominating commission procedures. Among other things, the amendments require applicants to use an online portal to be considered for a judgeship in justice courts and remove the credit check requirement.

Posted: April 28, 2025

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed June 12, 2025

CJA03-117. Committee on Court Forms (AMEND)
The proposed amendments: 1) formalize the authority of the Forms Committee; 2) clarify that the Judicial Council must approve forms used by Licensed Paralegal Practitioners; 3) grant the Forms Committee the authority to approve all other forms; 4) allow the Forms Committee to delegate its responsibility for certain groups of forms; and 5) direct the Forms Committee to draft forms that center on the needs of self-represented litigants and enhance access to justice.

CJA03-403. Judicial branch education (AMEND)
The proposed amendments make the rule applicable to all state employees who are not time-limited and modify program requirements to align with the judiciary’s performance year, allowing supervisors to include education requirements in performance expectations and evaluations.