Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Durham urges civic education, foster‑care reforms and problem‑solving courts

Chief Justice Durham of the Utah Supreme Court addressed the House after members resolved into a Committee of the Whole to hear the judiciary’s annual remarks. Durham highlighted the court’s civic‑education work in Utah schools, international exchanges that studied Utah’s judicial council model, and collaborative efforts targeting child welfare and juvenile justice.

Durham cited a recent visit by Mongolia’s president, saying the Mongolian delegation singled out judicial reform and Utah’s Judicial Council procedures as models. “They admired the way our Judicial Council operates, with notice, public meetings, press attendance, frequent attendance of legislative staff, and public votes,” Durham said.

The chief justice described local civic‑education programming organized with more than 20 partner groups, including two days of public programming on religious liberty and the courts and classroom activities for teachers and students. She summarized participants’ written feedback: “The Judicial Branch is the least known and understood,” and multiple teachers said they planned to teach more about the court system in their constitution units.

Durham detailed the courts’ role convening cross‑sector efforts. She described the Judicial Council’s Committee on Children and Family Law and the work that produced legislation to address warrants in child welfare cases. Durham also outlined an initiative on behalf of youth aging out of foster care — referred to in her remarks as the IOU (Initiative on Utah children in foster care) — which is focused on funding issues, transitions to adult living, kinship care supports and public awareness. Durham recounted a meeting in which a young person who had aged out said he had received no follow‑up support, a moment that prompted volunteers to follow up directly with the youth.

The chief justice announced that a juvenile mental‑health court pilot will begin in Third District Juvenile Court (Judge Dane Nolan’s courtroom at the West Jordan courthouse), working with Valley Mental Health, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, defense counsel, school and county mental‑health divisions and child‑welfare agencies. Durham said the pilot aims to coordinate services, treatment and judicial supervision for young people with serious mental‑health needs to improve outcomes for children, families and communities.

Durham closed by stressing transparent governance for the judicial branch and the value of public engagement. “We will continue to strive for courts as good as their promise of fairness, access, equal justice, and efficiency,” she said, and invited legislators to visit courts or request debriefings to increase their understanding of the system.

The House thanked Chief Justice Durham and her colleagues and returned to the regular calendar.