Utah Court Information

Here are the following Utah courts in the state:

•    The Supreme Court
•    The Appeals Court
•    The District Courts (these are present in 8 districts)
•    The Juvenile Courts
•    The Justice Courts

In the state’s legal hierarchy, the Supreme Court ranks at the top, much like in the other states. This Utah court is the final authority and court of last resort, and the final place where many of the appeals are decided.

Sessions of the state’s Supreme Court are held in Matheson and Salt Lake City. There is provision for the court to sit at any other place it deems fit from time to time. Matters related to procedures and those that are quite sensitive are decided by the court on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month.

The panel of judges has 3 to 5 members and they first hear the oral arguments, following which there is a conference to decide the case in hand. The state Supreme Court’s website is http://www.utcourts.gov/courts/sup.

Utah Appeals Court

The Appeals Court in the state was established only in 1987. This Utah court has the jurisdiction to hear cases of appeals that come from the District Courts and Juvenile Courts in the state. Cases from the Department of Small Claims in the District Courts are not heard in this court.

The Appeals Court also hears matters of annulment, divorce and other domestic issues; property division; child support and custody; visitation rights; paternity and adoption; appeals related to state agency administrative proceedings and also in some case matters that are criminal in nature, particular those involving felonies or capital charges.

There are 7 judges in this court and they each serve terms for 6 years. The Appeals Court sits in Salt Lake City, but the court is also held at other places within the state as needed. The state Appeals Court’s website is http://www.utcourts.gov/courts/appell.

Utah District Court

District Courts in the state are courts of trial that have the jurisdiction to hear and pass judgment on matters of criminal felonies, civil cases, and cases of misdemeanors. Cases related to domestic issues such as child support and custody, divorce and adoption also come up here. The court also deals with issues of probate.

There are 71 judges in the 8 districts in the state serving the District Courts. The state District Courts' website is http://www.utcourts.gov/courts/dist/overview.htm.

Utah Juvenile Courts

Juvenile Courts in Utah have jurisdiction to hear cases about minors who have violated any municipal, state or federal law. The court also hears cases of child neglect and abuse. Issues related to support, child custody and visitation rights also come up here. It is in the court’s power to place children under supervision of the probation department of the court.

Probation officers are responsible for supervising and conducting evaluations of the minor and preparing/submission of reports. There is a clerical department that is responsible for maintaining the documents and the court records.

Juvenile Courts in Utah have 2 judges. The state Juvenile Courts' website is http://www.utcourts.gov/courts/juv/overview.htm.

Utah Justice Courts

Justice Courts are courts of trial in the state and have been set up by the municipalities and counties. The jurisdiction of these courts varies. Each judicial district in the state has a Justice Court. The state Justice Courts' website is http://www.utcourts.gov/courts/just/overview.htm.