Utah Courts
The Utah State Court system has two appellate courts, three trial courts, and two administrative bodies. Each of these courts serves different purposes and have separate jurisdictions. The appellate courts in Utah are the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, while the trial courts include the District, Juvenile, and Justice Courts. The administrative division comprises the Administrative Office of the Court and the Judicial Council. As part of the Utah judicial branch, there are also federal appellate courts that hear appeals on federal cases which are outside the jurisdiction of state courts.
The Utah Supreme Court is the state's highest court and an appellate court. The court's original jurisdiction is to answer questions of state law certified from Federal Courts and to issue extraordinary writs. There are five justices in the Supreme Court, one of whom serves as a Chief Justice. Each of them serves a 10-year renewable term in office, but the Chief Justice act in that office for four years. The Chief Justice role is an elective position that is determined by majority votes among the justices. The Supreme Court also reviews appeals from the District Court on the first degree and capital felony convictions. Additionally, it has appellate jurisdiction to hear civil judgments other than domestic cases.
The Utah Court of Appeals complements the Supreme Court in quite some ways. The court has seven judges, each of whom serves six years of officer term. One out of the judges is elected as a presiding judge to serve for two years by majority vote. Typically, a panel of three judges sits to hear appeals and make decisions. They are usually rotated to prevent compromise. The law prohibits all seven judges from sitting at any appeal at once. Cases from Juvenile and District Courts can be appealed at the Utah Court of Appeals. However, the Court of Appeals does not hear cases from the small claims division of the District Court. It reviews and decides on appeals from the District Court on lawsuits such as divorce, child custody, visitation, adoption, and paternity, as well as criminal cases of less than a first degree.
The Utah District Court is a trial court of general jurisdiction where all criminal felonies and civil cases are heard. It serves as an appellate court for Utah administrative departments and reviews their informal adjudicative cases. It has 71 district judges who spread across the eight judicial districts of the state. The court also handles domestic relations matters such as child support and custody, divorce, and adoption.
The Utah Juvenile Court has sole original jurisdiction over cases involving children under the age of 18. It is also a trial court, and it has 31 judges and 1.5 commissioners in the eight judicial districts. The Juvenile Court often accepts the responsibility of supervising juveniles who move from other states to Utah. Appealed cases from this court are heard at the Court of Appeals. Furthermore, the Juvenile Court can determine child custody, visitation, and support, while also trying cases of traffic offenses involving minors related to reckless driving, drinking and driving, and vehicular homicide.
The most common courts in Utah municipalities and counties are Justice Courts. The Utah Justice Court primarily hears small claims, violations of laws, and class B and C misdemeanors. The Justice Court has 81 judges who are distributed across 115 county and municipal courts.
All courts operate a clerical office that generates and disseminates Utah court records to provide an official account of judicial proceedings.
What is the Utah Supreme Court?
The Utah Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort. It has jurisdiction over judgments of the Court of Appeals by writ of certiorari and proceedings of the Judicial Conduct Commission. The court also has appellate jurisdiction to hear first degree and capital felony convictions from the District Court and civil judgments other than domestic cases. There are five justices of the Supreme Court who serve ten-year renewable terms. One of them is elected Chief Justice by majority vote to serve for four years, and another, Associate Chief Justice who serves a two-year office term, also by majority vote. The Utah Supreme Court equally reviews formal administrative proceedings of the Tax Commission, Public Service Commission, Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining, School and Institutional Trust Lands Board of Trustees, and the State Engineer.
Utah Court of Appeals?
Cases from the Juvenile and District Courts are heard at the Utah Court of Appeals. The court, however, does not hear small claims cases of the District Court. The District Court consists of seven judges. Each of them serves six-year renewable terms. One of the judges is elected by majority vote to serve as a presiding judge for two years. The court sits in rotating panels of three judges to make decisions on appealed cases. The jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals matches that of the Supreme Court. It hears appeals from the District Court on domestic relations cases, as well as child custody, support, visitation, and paternity, adoption, and criminal matters of less than a capital felony. The Utah Court of Appeals was established in 1987.
Utah District Court?
The Utah District Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction, and it serves as an appellate court to informal proceedings from the state's administrative agencies. It hears all civil cases and all criminal felonies, such as forgery, assaults, sex and drug offenses, robbery, and arson. The 71 district judges of this court spread across the state's eight judicial districts. The District Court also tries domestic cases, such as divorces, child custody and support, adoption, and probate.
Utah Justice Court?
The Utah Justice Court is a trial court with jurisdiction over class B and C misdemeanors, small claims, violations of law, and infractions committed within their territorial jurisdiction. It has 81 judges distributed to its 115 county and municipal courts. Justice courts are mainly found in counties and municipalities. Persons who are not attorneys can serve as Justice Court judges but must have undergone the required legal training. All Justice Court judges must attend at least 30 hours of continuing legal education yearly to retain their certification.
Utah Juvenile Court?
The Utah Juvenile Court has the original jurisdiction over children who are not older than 18 years who violate government ordinances. It has exclusive authority on traffic offenses involving youths related to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and reckless driving. The court equally tries legal matters of neglected, abused, or dependent minors and can determine child custody, support, and visitation. The Utah Juvenile Court has 31 judges in its eight judicial districts. The Juvenile Court supervises juveniles who were under court supervision in another state but moved to Utah. All appeals from the Utah Juvenile Court go to the Court of Appeals.
What are Appeals and Court Limits in Utah?
An appeal is simply a process where an upper court reviews and determine if a lower court committed an error of the law while making a decision. In Utah, an appeal can be a review by the Supreme Court on the Court of Appeals or the Court of Appeals on the three trial courts (District, Justice, and Juvenile Courts). It can also be a review by the District Court on the Justice Court. Most appeals in the state are not new trials, while some are entirely new trials. For instance, an appeal from the Justice Court to the District Court in a small claims case is a new hearing. Generally, the two appellate courts in Utah do not take evidence, hear witnesses, or retry cases. The Utah Supreme Court and Court of Appeals typically review the following information when hearing an appeal:
- Evidence provided at case trial
- The written briefs as filled in the appeal
- The proceeding transcript at hearing
Appeals cannot be filed without strong reasons. A person who is appealing a case must be well convinced that the lower court has committed a legal error. Note that the Utah Supreme Court can decide to transfer any case appealed to it to the Utah Court of Appeals for review and decision. An appellant must file an appeal with the Supreme Court within 30 days after the issuance of the Court of Appeals' decision. The Utah Rules of Appellate Procedure contains information on appeals procedure before the two appellate courts.
Decisions on most cases at the Court of Appeals are based on the filed briefs. However, the court may permit oral arguments if it discovers they will help in the ruling process. Oral argument allows the parties involved in an appeal to present their views in person to the judges and then provide answers to questions that the judges may ask them. Oral arguments are public, and anyone may witness them right there in the court. They are also available online on most courts’ websites as public records. A maximum of 30 minutes of arguments is allowed at the Court of Appeals. The appellant and the appellee get 15 minutes each. Most cases appealed to the Utah Supreme Court enjoy oral arguments unless the justices determine they are not valuable in their decision process. The Supreme Court gives 20 minutes each to the appellant and appellee for their arguments, totaling 40 minutes.
How Do I Find My Case Number in Utah?
Case numbers are assigned at the point of filing lawsuits in the court. They are numbers that differentiate a case from another case. No two cases can ever have the same case number. Individuals who are interested in finding their case numbers may visit the courthouses where the trials are being held. They may have to provide information such as the filing date and party name to enable the court clerks to retrieve case numbers. Alternatively, anyone can find their case number online using the free XChange system at public terminals in any district courthouse or adopt the paid subscription. The XChange system provides various options for searching case information. Requestors may find their case numbers on this system by either searching with names (full or partial) or filing dates. Note that login information is required to use this service. Individuals who are new to XChange should contact the system administrator via email and set up their accounts.
Does Utah Hold Remote Trials?
Utah courts do hold remote hearings but have almost become the new normal with the outbreak of COVID-19. Utah conducts hearings by telephone, video conferencing, and every other means that do not require the physical presence of counsel, witnesses, and parties. Ideally, persons participating in a court trial are supposed to appear in person, but they can also ask to participate remotely by contacting the court handling the trials. Judges can grant such requests if they make their findings and realize the following:
- Evidence presented in the courtroom can be delivered to remote participants before or during the trials.
- The remote participation cannot meddle with making a verbatim record of the proceeding.
- The persons asking to appear remotely can have confidential communication with their attorneys.
- An arrangement is in place for persons who are deaf or have limited English proficiency.
Courts in Utah use Webex to hold most remote trials, and the public can attend remote court hearings. To ensure public attendance, most courts in Utah add the Webex meeting link in their online calendars. Remote participants can use the Webex from their internet browser by entering webex.com. They can equally install the app on their smartphones, laptops, tablets, or iPad. The Utah State Courts provide detailed guides on how to join remote court trials using Webex.
