Utah judicial news
From Judgepedia
News about or affecting the judiciary in Utah.
New bills increase Governor's influence over the judiciary
Utah: Two bills before the Utah Senate will give the governor more power over the state judiciary. Senate Bill 108, which was approved by the "Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee" on January 29, 2010, would give the governor the power to appoint the staff for judicial nominating commissions. Senate Bill 109 would allow the governor to appoint a chief justice out of the five Utah Supreme Court justices--a job which is currently reserved for the justices themselves.[1]
Chief Justice asks lawmakers to cut District Court judgeship
Salt Lake City, Utah: The Utah Judicial Council wants to eliminate one judgeship in the Second Judicial District. Christine Durham, the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, presented the request to state lawmakers on behalf of the Council on January 25, 2010. The Council believes the 2nd District is overstaffed, while the 5th District Juvenile Court is understaffed. They want to equalize the court caseloads by moving the judgeship.[1]
Two appointed to fill Utah justice court vacancies
Utah: John Rowland Cox, Jr. and Ivo Ray Peterson were appointed to two Utah Sixth District Justice Courts on January 8, 2010.
John Rowland Cox was appointed by the Sanpete County Commission to the Sanpete County Justice Court. He replaces Sara Watson, who retired on October 21, 2009.
Ivo Ray Peterson, previously a Justice Court judge in Fairview, Fountain Green, Gunnison, Manti, Mt. Pleasant, Moroni, and Spring City, will be replacing Joseph C. Breinholt on the Ephraim Justice Court.[1]
Nominees for Utah Court of Appeals announced
Utah: Nominees for the vacancy coming on the Utah Court of Appeals on December 31, 2009 with the retirement of Pamela Greenwood have been announced. They are Judges Michele Christiansen, David M. Connors, David Mortensen, Anthony Quinn, and Stephen L. Roth and attorneys Paul T. Moxley and Jeannette F. Swent.
There will be a 10-day period of public comment ending on November 30, 2009 before the names are submitted to Governor Herbert. He will have 30 days to make a selection, whose name will then be submitted to the Senate Confirmation Committee, which will in turn vet the candidate and submit a name to the Utah State Senate for final conformation. [1]
Herbert nominates new judge to Utah Court of Appeals
Utah: J. Frederic Voros Jr. was nominated in September 2009 by Governor Herbert to fill the vacancy on the Utah Court of Appeals. Voros must be approved by the state Senate in order to take the seat. [1]
According to the Governor's statement, "Fred brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to the Utah Court of Appeals. He has significant experience in all areas of the law, especially at the appellate level, and will be a good complement to the six sitting judges." [2]
Voros received his bachelor's from Brigham Young University and his Juris Doctor from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.[2]
Voros has had experience in general civil litigation, formerly worked with a national communications firm, and served as general counsel to Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. Voros spent eight years as an Assistant Utah Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Division. Since 1999, he has served as chief of the criminal appeals division for the Utah Attorney General's Office. [2]
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Voros has been active in Democratic politics and has been a judicial nominee several times. [1]
Upcoming vacancy on the Utah Court of Appeals
Utah: The Utah Court of Appeals is seeking applicants for the upcoming vacancy that will occur with the December 31, 2009 retirement of Pamela Greenwood. It will be the second vacancy on the court, as the seat opened with the 2008 retirement of Judith Billings is still unfilled. [1]
Applicants for the position must be "at least 30 years old, United States citizens, residents of Utah for at least five years and admitted to practice law in Utah". [2]
The annual salary for a Court of Appeals judge is $138,750, with 20 days of paid vacation and 11 paid holidays per year. [3]
Justice court judge accused of sexual misconduct
Utah: Craig Storey is a Justice Court judge for the Second District in Utah. In July of 2008 Judge Storey's court clerk Marcia Eisenhour spoke to Deputy Weber County Attorney Craig Allred about harassing treatment that she alleged to be receiving from Judge Storey. She accused him of writing a "sexually explicit poem about Eisenhour, described for her a dream in which she was washing dishes in the court's break room while naked from the waist up and that he had called and said he loved her", all of which the judge admitted to. He has not admitted to further allegations of touching Eisenhour with his groin.
County officials asked the Utah Attorney General's Office to take the case, but they declined to act. The county attempted to work out a plan to make Eisenhour feel more comfortable at work by moving the judge's office to a different floor and designating an employee to serve as liaison between the two. However, Eisenhour further alleges that Storey has "cried on the shoulders" of most of the other court employees, who are sympathetic with him, and create a hostile work environment for her.
The Utah Judicial Conduct Commission privately admonished Judge Storey and closed the case a year after the initial complaint. [1]
Court supervision confirmed in UEP case
Utah: Judge Denise Lindberg of the Third District, Utah District Courts, ruled "that several people who want to intervene in the court-supervised handling of the United Effort Plan Trust have no legal standing to do so". The United Effort Plan was established by the FLDS Church, led by Warren Jeffs. It reportedly has $114 million in assets, but is no longer in the church's control. A state court took it over after allegations of mismanagement were leveled against Jeffs.
Individuals seeking to replace a court-appointed special fiduciary manager for the Plan were rebuffed in Lindberg's three page ruling, as were "potential beneficiaries of the trust [that] have previously been found to not have legal standing". [1]
References
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The Utah Project on Judgepedia
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