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Utah

Overview

  • The Utah Judiciary is primarily a state funded system.  The state pays for facilities and all operating costs.  Utah’s appropriation was reduced from $133.9 million in FY11 to $128.9 million in FY12.  Its FY11 budget had been reduced during the fiscal year.  Utah will be able to maintain the same number of judges but has had to reduce the number of staff positions and the amount spent on operating costs.
  • To reduce spending, the Utah courts had to lay off staff and had to delay filling vacancies in the clerks’ offices and in judicial support positions.  Salaries of judges and staff have been frozen.  For FY12, reductions have principally been taken where the workload has decreased, namely juvenile probation services. Additional reductions have been taken in the administrative office of the courts which brings the total reduction in the AOC over the past 3 years to approximately 15%. Reorganization and reduced administrative support has been necessary.
  • The Utah courts are attempting to minimize the impact on direct services through various re-engineering efforts, the most prominent being the electronic record. They are moving aggressively to get the electronic record in place state-wide; full implementation is a challenge with the system under strain. The Utah Judiciary has purposely minimized any reductions which impact direct trial or appellate court services and have not reduced hours or furloughed employees, opting instead to make permanent reductions and change how they do business.
  • The Utah courts are implementing a number of technology initiatives, all aimed at providing an alternate and more efficient way of delivering existing services, and as a by-product, providing the public with improved and remote access to court records and services.  These initiatives include, e-filing, e-citations, and electronic document management system, e-warrants, and e-documents available to the public.  They have put in place videoconferencing of hearings, additional self-help services, remote court interpretation, and a transcript management system which accompanied going entirely digital for the court record. 
  • Structural changes include enhanced case management practices, the centralization of processes, and the reallocation of staff.  Jurisdiction for small claims cases were moved from the general jurisdiction court to the justice court.  In addition, changes to the rules of civil procedure which will implement significant discovery reform are pending approval. 
  • The Utah Judiciary has worked hard to maintain the level of access and timely dispute resolution and, thus far, have been able to do so. Renewed and increased emphasis and attention to case management practices have actually resulted in improved performance with fewer resources. 

Reports and Articles

Gavel to Gavel

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