Chief Justice outlines juvenile-justice gains, court modernization and asks for two judgeships

The Chief Justice delivered the annual State of the Judiciary address to the Utah House of Representatives, reviewing recent investments in juvenile justice, pilot dispute-resolution programs and technology meant to improve public access while asking the Legislature for two additional judgeships.

"We in the judiciary face a number of challenges as we head into the next century," the Chief Justice said, describing his role as chair of the Utah Judicial Council and the judiciary's administrative responsibilities. He credited a cross-branch juvenile-justice task force for a $22,000,000 package passed last year, and said the courts received $6,000,000 of that appropriation "one half" of which funded new local juvenile programs and the other half financed 60 new probation officers to ensure participation in those programs.

He highlighted alternative dispute resolution pilots, particularly a victim-offender mediation program initiated in 1996: "Exit surveys tell us that more than 90% of the victims felt good about the process," he said, and reported that juveniles who participate in mediation have "one half the likelihood of reoffending" compared with those who do not.

The Chief Justice described judge-intensive calendars — including domestic-violence dockets and drug courts — as producing better outcomes but requiring far more judge time per case. He said those programs’ success "raises serious questions about how much we're willing to spend to improve the quality of justice," and formally requested two additional judgeships — one in the juvenile court and one in the district court — as a partial response to rising workload pressures.

On access to justice, the Chief Justice warned of a nationwide rise in self-representation. "In Utah, currently one in every five civil cases is a pro se filing," he said, and described pilot steps the courts have taken: five "quick court" kiosks that in the prior year provided information to 12,000 people and printed forms for almost 4,000 litigants. He said the judiciary will seek legislation to make those services available on the Internet, and noted a newly established hotline and web page to support litigants.

He also described a 1996 statutory change that required clerks to assist pro se filers in protective-order cases and warned that broadening clerk assistance carries significant cost implications: "These people don't understand what's going on. They have to slow things way down," he said, emphasizing the trade-off between efficiency and access.

Concluding the address, the Chief Justice thanked the Legislature for cooperation and invited members to visit the new courthouse in March, saying the building is "on time" and "on budget." He noted this would be his last appearance before the House as Chief Justice and that Associate Chief Justice Richard Howe will assume the post on April 1.

The address was delivered in the Committee of the Whole and concluded without legislative action on the judicial requests; follow-up on the judgeship request would depend on the House and appropriations process.