Utah Supreme Court hears appeal from immigration attorney Elle Cox over missed filings and sanctions

The Utah Supreme Court on oral argument heard an appeal by immigration attorney Elle Cox, who urged the justices to reverse disciplinary findings that she violated Utah professional-conduct rules by missing a filing deadline and demonstrating incompetence in a client's immigration matter.

Cox, appearing pro se, told the court she “protected the client's interest” by prioritizing negotiation with ICE during the government and court shutdown in early 2019 rather than mailing documents she feared would be ignored. She said her choices reflected immigration practice realities—what she called “triage”—and argued the disruptions and frequent changes in ICE counsel made timely filing impracticable.

“The court shut down,” Cox told the justices, and she said she repeatedly tried to identify and reach opposing ICE counsel so she could obtain discretionary…