NCJ Number
76538
Date Published
1979
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This research report examines the current court workload of the Utah Supreme Court, its recent innovations in operations, and future alternatives to its current increasing caseload. It recommends the establishment of an intermediate appellate court.
Abstract
Cases filed with the Utah Supreme Court have increased 63 percent in the last 5 years. The number of cases filed has increased from 7 to 10 percent a year; there has been a subsequent increase in the opinion preparation of the Supreme Court justices. Currently, each Supreme Court justice must prepare about 80 written opinions, or about 1 every 3 work days. Recent innovations in operations, such as using attorneys to do research, increasing the secretarial staff, and conducting settlement conferences, have lessened the impact of the rising caseload, but the problem remains. Eighteen interviews with local judges and prosecutors resulted in suggestions for three alternatives to meet the Court's increasing caseload: establishment of an intermediate appellate court, expansion of the Court to seven justices, or increase of the Court staff. An analysis of the alternatives supports the recommended establishment of an intermediate appellate court as a permanent solution to the problem of declining time, research, and judicial thought available for deciding cases filed with the Utah Supreme Court. A list of the judges and prosecutors interviewed, the proposed evaluation strategy for the Supreme Court Study, and relevant correspondence are appended. Three research reports are listed as references.