Utah Code Jud. Admin. R. 4-102

Intent:

The intent of this rule is to establish uniform administrative procedures for the assignment and reassignment of judges and cases in a manner that ensures a fair, impartial, and equitable distribution of judicial workloads and the efficient administration of justice.

Applicability:

This rule applies to district, juvenile, and business and chancery courts.

Statement of the Rule:

(1) Initial assignments.

(1)(A) District – Business and Chancery courts. All newly filed cases in district courts and the business and chancery court will be assigned to judges on a random basis using an automated case assignment process approved by the Council, unless an exemption is granted. The Council may not approve an exemption for three-judge panels. The automated process should, to the greatest extent possible, ensure that case assignments cannot be predicted by court staff or judges.

(1)(B) Juvenile courts. All newly filed cases in juvenile courts will be assigned using a fair and impartial process approved by the Council.

(1)(C) Three-judge panels. District court judges will be assigned to newly created three-judge panels convened in accordance with Utah Code section 78A-5-102.7 and the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure on a random basis using an automated case assignment process approved by the Council. The automated case assignment process must pull judges from a list of qualified district court judges approved by the Council and ensure judges assigned to each panel are from different judicial districts. The list of qualified district court judges must include at least 50% of the district court judges from each district.

(2) Reassignments.

(2)(A) District, Juvenile, and Business and Chancery courts. All district courts, juvenile courts, and the business and chancery court must establish a fair and impartial reassignment process approved by the Council. To the extent possible, district courts should assign any civil case or proceeding involving the same child or family to a single judge.

(2)(B) Three-judge panels. If a judge on a three-judge panel must be reassigned due to disqualification, recusal, or a change of judge as a matter of right, a new district court judge from a different judicial district than the other judges on the panel will be assigned to the panel on a random basis using the automated case assignment process established in paragraph (1)(C).

(3) Water and tax cases. Except for panel assignments and reassignments in paragraphs (1)(C) and (2)(B), assignments and reassignments for district court water cases and district court tax cases are governed by Rules 6-103 and 6-104.

(4) Compliance. All case assignments and reassignments must comply with this Code, Utah Rules of Procedure, and the Utah Code of Judicial Conduct.