What are Utah Court Records?

Docket Sheets

These are official documents from a trial that include important details about parties, judges, and attorneys of record. They also provide a list and summary of the documents used during the trial, along with the date they were filed and the court record number assigned to each document.

Judgments and Orders

These documents include the verdicts rendered by the jury or judge. Following the trial, the judge signs the final ruling that specifies the penalties and obligations for each side.

Transcripts

Transcripts are written records of court proceedings; they record the decision of the judges. These documents are helpful when requesting an appeal or as supporting documentation for a motion.

Evidence

This includes physical and written evidence that is obtained from police investigations and introduced by both legal sides during debates.

Court Minutes

A record that shows the beginning and ending times of a trial. It provides the names of the attorneys, witnesses, and a concise synopsis of the court proceedings, including recesses, testimony, and official declarations.

Pleadings

These are formal, written statements that outline the demands made by each party to the court, including motions, plea deals, and complaints.

Briefs

These are written arguments presented to the court by legal counsel. These documents are meant to help the court resolve the legal issues involved in the case.

Civil Cases

Civil proceedings resolve conflicts between people and businesses. An important and distinguishing aspect of civil cases is that they do not result in imprisonment or other severe loss of rights. Instead, civil cases are resolved by paying fines, stopping specific acts, or addressing the dispute's underlying cause. Their purpose is to settle disputes or provide the winner peace of mind.

Typically, a case starts when a person or organization (the "Plaintiff") alleges that another person or organization (the "Defendant") has caused them harm. By submitting a "complaint" and initiating a legal proceeding, the plaintiff requests redress from the court. To make up for their losses or injuries, the plaintiff may request "damages" or monetary compensation. They may also seek an injunction, which prevents the defendant from doing something.

A judge or jury trial may be used to decide the case. The parties may also decide to settle the case among themselves, which typically means financial agreements. These could help avoid trial costs. In civil action, there is no legal right to counsel. Civil parties are required to either attend in court pro se (representing themselves) or engage their own counsel.

The level of proof that civil attorneys must fulfill is known as the "preponderance of evidence." This means that the evidence offered by the winning side was more likely to be true than not. Decisions are not influenced by the amount of evidence presented; decisions are based upon the persuasiveness of the evidence that is presented.. Unanimity is not necessary for a civil judgment.

Criminal Cases

A criminal case is created when a government prosecutor accuses someone of committing a crime. Criminal cases deter future criminal activity and remove or rehabilitate lawbreakers from society. Criminal cases often start after the defendant is taken into custody and charged, typically during an indictment hearing.

Defendants in criminal cases are entitled to a trial by a jury of their peers. To eliminate bias, the judge interviews each juror after hand-picking them from a randomly selected pool of district residents. Defendants may choose a jury-free bench trial. Unlike civil cases, defendants also have a right to representation by legal counsel.

Criminal juries are required to vote unanimously, in contrast to civil matters. This high standard is because of the far more severe penalties that could be imposed in a criminal prosecution. When a court finds someone guilty of a crime, they may be sentenced under criminal law, which can include community service, incarceration, a fine, or a combination of the three.

Utah Supreme Court

With five judgeships, the Utah Supreme Court serves as the state's final resort court. The Utah Supreme Court can grant extraordinary writs and has original jurisdiction over state law cases certified by federal courts. For first-degree and capital criminal convictions from the district court, the court has appellate jurisdiction. The court's appellate jurisdiction also covers civil decisions and domestic disputes. The court also reviews the administrative actions of several state institutions.

Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant is currently in charge of the five Supreme Court justices. A governor-controlled judicial nomination commission assists in the selection of justices for the Supreme Court. The governor is assisted by a commission with a majority of governor-selected members in appointing justices. The Utah Supreme Court is based in Salt Lake City.

Utah Court of Appeals

The Utah Court of Appeals serves as the state's intermediate appellate court. It is one of Utah's two state appellate courts. Utah is one state that has a Court of Appeals, which serves as a middle court and has the authority to hear appeals from several lower-level courts.

Utah District Courts

The District Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction. Its eight judicial districts are home to 71 full-time district judges. All civil cases, all criminal felonies, including homicides, assaults, sex and drug offenses, forgeries, arson, and robberies, as well as misdemeanors in specific situations, can be tried in the District Court.

Domestic relations issues, including divorces, child custody and support, adoption, and probate, make up a significant portion of the District Court's caseload. Additionally, district judges have the authority to grant exceptional writs. The Court reviews administrative agencies' informal adjudicative processes like an appellate court.

Utah Juvenile Courts

Minors who break federal, state, or local laws are within the original jurisdiction of Utah Juvenile Courts. In situations involving child abuse, neglect, or dependency, they also have original jurisdiction. When adults are engaged in a minor's delinquency or neglect, the courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the district and justice courts.

Utah Justice Courts

Counties and municipalities create justice courts, which are empowered to handle class B and C crimes, ordinance violations, minor claims, and offenses that occur inside their borders. The jurisdictions of the Justice Court are established by the borders of the counties or cities that employ the judges.

Judges of the Justice Court are divided into two categories: municipal judges, who are chosen by city authorities for a six-year term, and county judges, who are first appointed by a county commission and then run for retention every six years. Some serve as municipal and county judges. While some judges have limited court hours each week, others hear cases every day.

Justice Court judges are not required to be lawyers. To maintain their certification, all Justice Court judges are required to complete 30 hours of continuing judicial education annually. Utah's 115 county and municipal courts are presided over by 81 Justice Court judges.