This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There were no Utah judges publicly reprimanded in the past year for their behavior on the bench — though four judges were given private warnings by the Utah Judicial Conduct Commission, according to the commission's 2015 Annual Report.
Seventy complaints were lodged this past fiscal year against 60 Utah judges, according to the report. Nearly every complaint, except for one matter still pending, has been investigated, and no public sanctions were imposed by the Utah Supreme Court.
But four unnamed judges were given warnings before their complaints were dismissed.
One justice court judge violated rules when he or she "acted impatiently toward an individual who interrupted court proceedings," according to the report, while a "new" district court judge was warned to not publicly endorse a candidate for public office.
Another justice court judge was given a warning for participating in the "ALS ice-bucket challenge" in his judicial robe and posting a video online, where he encouraged other judges and court staff to participate — which was a violation of rules prohibiting judges from engaging in fund-raising activities.
Another "relatively new" district court judge was given a warning about "ex parte communications" in a civil case, meaning the judge had direct communication with one party in the case without the other parties' knowledge.
The JCC is made up of attorneys, judges, citizens and legislators. Their work is generally kept secret, and most judges receive private, informal reprimands.
Judges are only named in their disciplinary actions in rare cases where the Utah Supreme Court removes a judge or issues a public reprimand.