Utah State Courts Information

The mission of the Utah Judiciary is to provide the people with an open, fair, efficient, and independent system for the advancement of justice under law.” Utah has a unified state court system for the operation of the appellate, district (general jurisdiction), and juvenile courts. The governance of the courts is the responsibility of the state Judicial Council which administers the system through the Administrative Office of the Courts. The state trial courts are organized into eight judicial districts consisting of 29 counties. Administration of each district is the responsibility of an appointed Court Executive, supported by a Clerk of Court and Chief of Probation. All operations are state funded, including court facilities. The state court system and justice courts combined have approximately 1600 employees. All judges are appointed and then stand for retention election. The 72 district court judges are judges of general jurisdiction and handle criminal, civil and domestic matters. The 30 juvenile court judges serve in the court with jurisdiction over youths under 18 years of age who violate a state or municipal law. This jurisdiction also includes cases involving abused, neglected, or dependent children. Justice courts handle traffic, misdemeanors, and small claims. More information about the Utah Courts can be found on our website at www.utcourts.gov