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Utah’s court system serves the citizens of the state through five primary judicial venues: the state Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; District Court; Juvenile Court; and, Justice Court.

Utah's Supreme Court 

The five-justice Utah Supreme Court serves as the court of last resort in Utah. It is led by a chief justice, presently Christine Durham, who is elected to a four-year term in the post by majority vote of her peers, and an associate chief, now Michael J. Wilkins, who serves in the role for two years.

The court has original jurisdiction to answer questions of state law certified from the federal courts, and in the issuance of extraordinary writs. The court has appellate jurisdiction in cases of first-degree felonies and capital felony convictions rising from District Court, and in civil judgments other than domestic cases. The justices also review formal administrative proceedings of several state bodies, including: the Public Service Commission; Tax Commission; School and Institutional Trust Lands Board of Trustees; the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining; and the state engineer.

The Supreme Court also has jurisdiction over judgments by the Court of Appeals via writ of certiorari, proceedings of the Judicial Conduct Commission, and disputes or questions of both the state constitution and elections.

Finally, the Supreme Court is entrusted with adopting the rules of civil and criminal procedure and rules of evidence for all state courts, with admitting lawyers to the state bar, and with disciplining attorneys and judges as necessary.

The court conducts its regular sessions at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City, but occasionally convenes in other locations. It generally sits on the first and third Mondays of each month to decide procedural and substantive matters presented on a law and motion calendar. Following the presentation of oral arguments by attorneys (usually the first week of each month), the justices hold a conference and vote either to grant or deny the motions and assign one justice to write an opinion. Other justices may choose to write a separate concurring or, if they disagree with the court’s decision, dissenting opinion on the case.

Three out of five justices sit on the law and motion panel, allowing two justices to devote more time to writing opinions.

Online resources for the Utah Supreme Court include an oral arguments calendar, a docket search and an archive of opinions.

Utah's Court of Appeals 

Utah’s Court of Appeals was created in 1987, and consists of seven judges who serve six-year, renewable terms. The court has a presiding judge, presently Russell W. Bench, and an associate presiding judge, Pamela T. Greenwood.

The jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals is complementary to that of the Utah Supreme Court. The lower appellate court hears all appeals from the Juvenile Court and District Court venues, except for those from the small claims department of District Court. Appellate judges also hear domestic relations cases from District Court, including: divorces; annulments; property division; child custody, support and visitation; adoption; and paternity. The Court of Appeals also reviews matters of felony appeals for offenses less than first-degree or “capital” in severity. And, the court reviews appeals of administrative proceedings by state agencies, including the Utah Industrial Commission and the Department of Employment Security Career Service Review Board.

The Supreme Court also can choose to transfer other cases to the Court of Appeals.

Court of Appeals sessions are usually conducted in Salt Lake City, but the court also travels several times per year, convening in other regions. The court sits and renders judgment in rotating panels of three judges; unlike many state appellate courts, which at times will gather as a whole, the Utah Court of Appeals is prohibited by statute from sitting “en banc.”

The three-member panels hear oral arguments during the third and fourth weeks of each month. After the trio of judges reaches a decision, one is assigned to write the court’s opinion. In addition to oral argument panels, the court will designate three judges to sit on the law and motion panel, which determines procedural and substantive motions and hears cases one day per month.

The Court of Appeals’ oral arguments calendar, docket and opinions are available online. 

Utah's District Courts

Utah’s District Court system is the state’s trial court of general jurisdiction. There are 71 full-time judges serving in the state’s eight judicial districts.

The District Court has original jurisdiction to try all civil cases, all criminal felonies such as homicide, assault, sex and drug offenses, forgery, arson and robbery, and has jurisdiction over misdemeanor violations in certain instances.

A major role for the District Court is hearing domestic relations cases, such as divorces, child custody and support, adoptions and probate cases.

District judges also have the power to issue extraordinary writs, and the court serves as an appellate venue to review informal adjudicative proceedings from administrative agencies.

Utah also has a number of Drug Court venues under the umbrella of District Court, with about 700 to 800 offenders who suffer from substance abuse issues being disciplined while also being treated for their addictions in hopes of reducing recidivism. 

Utah's Juvenile Court 

Utah’s Juvenile Court is a court of special jurisdiction. The Juvenile Court division includes 28 full-time judges and one commissioner. Their division is considered equal to District Court, while only having exclusive, original jurisdiction over youths under age 18 who violate federal, state or municipal laws, plus children who are abused, neglected or dependent. 

The Juvenile Court system is divided into eight districts, the same as District Court. Judges in Juvenile Court have the power to determine child custody, support and visitation in some circumstances, to permanently terminate parental rights and to authorize or require treatment for mentally ill or handicapped children. The court may also place children under supervision of the court’s probation department and place children in foster homes, group homes, special treatment centers or secure institutions.

The court works closely with the Office of Guardian ad Litem on cases involving abuse, neglect or dependency.

The court may require children to pay fines or make restitution for damages or loss resulting from their delinquency. The court has jurisdiction over habitual truants, runaways and “ungovernable” youths if efforts by other social service agencies are not successful. The court has exclusive jurisdiction in traffic offenses involving minors related to automobile homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, reckless driving, joyriding, and fleeing a police officer. And it has concurrent jurisdiction with the District Court and Justice Court over adults who contribute to the delinquency and neglect of a minor.

Juvenile Court, unlike other state courts of record, administers a probation department. Probation officers prepare dispositional reports, supervise youths you have been placed on probation by the court, conduct evaluations and submit reports on the progress of each juvenile. As a member of the Interstate Compact on Juveniles, the Utah Juvenile Court accepts supervision of youth offenders who move to Utah from another state. 

All appeals from Juvenile Court are heard in the Utah Court of Appeals. 

Utah's Justice Courts

Utah’s Justice Court facilities are established by counties and municipalities and are vested with the authority to deal with Class B and Class C misdemeanors, violations of ordinances, small claims disputes and other minor infractions committed within their territorial jurisdictions. Justice Court jurisdictions are determined by the boundaries of the local governments that maintain them, such as cities or counties, and these governments also hire the Justice Court judges.

There are two types of Justice Court judges: county judges who are appointed by the county commission before facing retention votes among the electorate each four years; and, municipal judges who are appointed by city officials to serve four-year terms. Some judges are both county and municipal judges. Some judges hear case daily, while others have only limited court hours each week.

The state’s 108 Justice Court judges, serving 134 county and municipal courts, need not be attorneys, although they undergo extensive and continuing legal training. All Justice Court judges must attend 30 hours of continuing judicial education each year to retain their certification.

United States District Court - District of Utah

United States Bankruptcy Court - District of Utah

Utah Judicial Branch - Search District Court Records at the Courthouse information.  Also provides information regarding the web base court records search XChange.

Utah Appellate Docket Search - Search for Appellate Case Docket Information by Docket Number.

Utah Supreme Court - Overview of the Utah Supreme Court including the functions of the court and Supreme Court Opinions.

Utah Court of Appeals - A look at the Court of Appeals and how the court functions as well as Live and On Demand webcasts of Oral arguments.

Utah Online Court Assistance - A service that allows you to prepare documents without an attorney for use by the courts.

Utah Self-Help - Resources for individual who are representing themselves in court as well as information on fees, records and rules.

Utah Courts - Copies of Court Hearings are available as digitally recorded hearings.