Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Chief Justice delivers State of the Judiciary, warns caseload growth and program expansions strain courts
Summary
The chief justice told the Utah House that the judicial branch has grown in administrative scope and faces rising criminal and civil caseloads, funding pressures for new programs and a mounting backlog; he urged the Legislature to consider resources while the courts continue innovations such as drug courts and expanded guardian ad litem services.
Chief Justice Cinnamon, chair of the Utah Judicial Council, told the Utah House on Jan. 20 that the judicial branch has expanded beyond traditional trial duties into an administrative operation supervising roughly 1,100 employees, only about 100 of whom are judges. He said that while many new programs have improved services, they have also strained core court resources.
"All courts shall be open," he said, quoting the Magna Carta passage he used to frame the judiciary’s enduring obligation. He described new programs —…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
