Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Judges Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

SJ Quinney College of Law, University of Utah

Court reform

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Judges

Simplified Courts Can't Solve Inequality, Colleen F. Shanahan, Anna E. Carpenter Jun 2019

Simplified Courts Can't Solve Inequality, Colleen F. Shanahan, Anna E. Carpenter

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

State civil courts struggle to handle the volume of cases before them. Litigants in these courts, most of whom are unrepresented, struggle to navigate the courts to solve their problems. This access-to-justice crisis has led to a range of reform efforts and solutions. One type of reform, court simplification, strives to reduce the complexity of procedures and information used by courts to help unrepresented litigants navigate the judicial system. These reforms mitigate but do not solve the symptoms of the larger underlying problem: state civil courts are struggling because they have been stuck with legal cases that arise from the …


No Justice In Utah's Justice Courts: Constitutional Issues, Systemic Problems, And The Failure To Protect Defendants In Utah's Infamous Local Courts, Samuel P. Newton, Teresa L. Welch, Neal G. Hamilton Jan 2012

No Justice In Utah's Justice Courts: Constitutional Issues, Systemic Problems, And The Failure To Protect Defendants In Utah's Infamous Local Courts, Samuel P. Newton, Teresa L. Welch, Neal G. Hamilton

Utah OnLaw: The Utah Law Review Online Supplement

Utah’s justice of the peace courts look and feel exactly like district courts, yet they lack the benefits and protections afforded to citizens charged with more serious offenses. Utah should strongly consider abolishing its justice courts in order to integrate them into a statewide system of justice that would “keep the peace” for all of the state’s citizens. If Utah does not abolish its justice courts, then it should implement the procedures and reforms outlined in this Article. Utah continues to have an opportunity to provide meaningful, and constitutional, justice administered at its local level. Once these reforms were implemented, …