Rule 3-201 - Court commissionersIntent:
To define the role of court commissioner.
To establish a term of office for court commissioners.
To establish uniform administrative policies governing the qualifications, appointment, supervision, discipline and removal of court commissioners.
To establish uniform administrative policies governing the salaries, benefits and privileges of the office of court commissioner.
Applicability:
This rule shall apply to all trial courts of record.
Statement of the Rule:
(1)Definition. Court commissioners are quasi-judicial officers established by the Utah Code.(2)Qualifications.(2)(A) Court commissioners must be at least 25 years of age, United States citizens, Utah residents for three years preceding appointment and residents of Utah while serving as commissioners. A court commissioner shall reside in a judicial district the commissioner serves.(2)(B) Court commissioners must be admitted to practice law in Utah and exhibit good character. Court commissioners must possess ability and experience in the areas of law in which the court commissioner serves.(2)(C) Court commissioners shall serve full time and shall comply with Utah Code Section 78A-2-221.(3)Appointment - Oath of office. (3)(A) Selection of court commissioners shall be based solely upon consideration of fitness for office.(3)(B) When a vacancy occurs or is about to occur in the office of a court commissioner, the Council shall determine whether to fill the vacancy. The Council may determine that the court commissioner will serve more than one judicial district.(3)(C) After the determination required by paragraph (3)(B), the presiding judge(s) of the district(s) the commissioner will serve, will form a committee for the purpose of nominating candidates. The committee will consist of the presiding judge(s) or designee(s) from each court level and judicial district that the commissioner will serve, three lawyers, and two members of the public. Committee members shall be appointed by the presiding judge(s) of the district court of each judicial district. The presiding judge(s) shall designate a chair of the committee. All members of the committee shall reside in the judicial district(s). All members of the committee shall be voting members. A quorum of one-half the committee members is necessary for the committee to act. The committee shall act by the concurrence of a majority of the members voting. When voting upon the qualifications of a candidate, the committee shall follow the procedures established in the commissioner nominating manual.(3)(D) No member of the committee may vote upon the qualifications of any candidate who is the spouse of that committee member or is related to that committee member within the third degree of relationship. No member of the committee may vote upon the qualifications of a candidate who is associated with that committee member in the practice of law. The committee member shall declare to the committee any other potential conflict of interest between that member and any candidate as soon as the member becomes aware of the potential conflict of interest. The committee shall determine whether the potential conflict of interest will preclude the member from voting upon the qualifications of any candidate. The committee shall record all declarations of potential conflicts of interest and the decision of the committee upon the issue.(3)(E) The administrative office of the courts shall advertise for qualified applicants and shall remove from consideration those applicants who do not meet minimum qualifications of age, citizenship, residency, and admission to the practice of law. The administrative office of the courts shall develop uniform guidelines for the application process for court commissioners.(3)(F) The nominating committee shall review the applications of qualified applicants and may investigate the qualifications of applicants to its satisfaction. The committee shall interview selected applicants and select the three best qualified candidates. All voting shall be by confidential ballot. The committee shall receive public comment on those candidates as provided in paragraph (4). Any candidate may be reconsidered upon motion by a committee member and upon agreement by a majority of nominating committee members.(3)(G) When the public comment period as provided in paragraph (4) has closed, the comments shall be given to the nominating committee. If any comments would negatively affect the committee's decision on whether to recommend a candidate, the candidate shall be given all comments with the commenters' names redacted and an opportunity to respond to the comments. If the committee decides not to recommend a candidate based on the comments, the committee shall select another candidate from the interviewed applicants and again receive public comment on the candidates as provided in paragraph (4).(3)(H) The chair of the nominating committee shall present the names, applications, and the results of background investigations of the nominees to the judges of the courts the court commissioner will serve. The committee may indicate its order of preference.(3)(I) The judges of each court level the court commissioner will serve shall together select one of the nominees by a concurrence of a majority of judges voting. If the commissioner will serve more than one judicial district, the concurrence of a majority of judges in each district is necessary for selection.(3)(J) The presiding judge of the district the court commissioner will primarily serve shall present the name of the selected candidate to the Council. The selection shall be final upon the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the Council. The Council shall vote upon the selection within 45 days of the selection or the concurrence of the Council shall be deemed granted.(3)(K) If the Council does not concur in the selection, the judges of the district may select another of the nominees or a new nominating process will be commenced.(3)(L) The appointment shall be effective upon the court commissioner taking and subscribing to the oath of office required by the Utah Constitution and taking any other steps necessary to qualify for office. The court commissioner shall qualify for office within 45 days after the concurrence by the Council.(4)Public comment for appointment and retention.(4)(A) Final candidates for appointment and court commissioners who are up for retention shall be subject to public comment.(4)(B) For final candidates, the nominating committee shall be responsible for giving notice of the public comment period.(4)(C) For court commissioners, the district in which the commissioner serves shall be responsible for giving notice of the public comment period.(4)(D) The nominating committee or district in which the commissioner serves shall:(i) email notice to each active member of the Utah State Bar including the names of the nominees or court commissioner with instructions on how to submit comments;(ii) issue a press release and other public notices listing the names of the nominees or court commissioner with instructions on how to submit comments; and(iii) allow at least 10 days for public comment.(4)(E) Individuals who comment on the nominees or commissioners should be encouraged, but not required, to provide their names and contact information.(4)(F) The comments are classified as protected court records and shall not be made available to the public.(5)Term of office. The court commissioner shall be appointed until December 31 of the third year following concurrence by the Council. At the conclusion of the first term of office and each subsequent term, the court commissioner shall be retained for a term of four years unless the judges of the courts the commissioner serves vote not to retain the commissioner in accordance with paragraph (8)(B) or unless the Judicial Council does not certify the commissioner for retention under rule 3-111. The term of office of court commissioners holding office on April 1, 2011 shall end December 31 of the year in which their term would have ended under the former rule.(6)Court commissioner performance review.(6)(A)Performance evaluations and performance plans. The presiding judge of each district and court level the commissioner serves shall prepare an evaluation of the commissioner's performance and a performance plan in accordance with Rule 3-111. Court commissioners shall comply with the program for judicial performance evaluation, including expectations set forth in a performance plan. (6)(B)Public comment period results. When the public comment period for a commissioner provided in paragraph (4) closes, the comments shall be given to and reviewed by the presiding judge of each district and court level the commissioner serves. If there are any negative comments, the negative comments shall be provided to the commissioner with the commenters' names redacted and the commissioner shall be given an opportunity to respond to the comments.(7)Corrective action or removal during a commissioner's term.(7)(A)Corrective action. (7)(A)(i) The Council may take corrective actions as the result of a complaint filed under rule 3-201.02. (7)(A)(ii) If the commissioner's performance is not satisfactory, corrective actions may be taken in accordance with paragraph (7)(A)(iii) by the presiding judge, or presiding judges if the commissioner serves multiple districts or court levels, with the concurrence of a majority of the judges in either district or court level the commissioner serves.(7)(A)(iii) Corrective actions may include but are not limited to private or public censure, restrictions in case assignments with corresponding reduction in salary, mandatory remedial education, suspension without pay for a period not to exceed 60 days, and removal under (7)(B)(i)(c).(7)(B)Removal. (7)(B)(i)Removal by Judicial Council. During a commissioner's term, the court commissioner may be removed by the Council: (7)(B)(i)(a) as part of a reduction in force;(7)(B)(i)(b) for failure to meet the evaluation requirements; or(7)(B)(i)(c) as the result of a complaint filed under rule 3-201.02 upon the concurrence of two-thirds of the Council. (7)(B)(ii)Removal by District or Court Level. (7)(B)(ii)(a) During a commissioner's term, if the commissioner's performance is not satisfactory, the commissioner may be removed by the presiding judge, or presiding judges if the commissioner serves multiple districts or court levels, only with the concurrence of a majority of the judges in each district or court level the commissioner serves. (7)(B)(ii)(b) If the commissioner serves multiple districts or court levels and one district or court level contests a commissioner removal decision made by the other district or court level, the Management Committee will review the decision, with final determination by the Judicial Council. (7)(C)Review of District or Court Level Decisions. If the commissioner disagrees with a district or court level's decision to remove the commissioner or take corrective actions, the commissioner may request a review of the decision by the Management Committee of the Council. (8)Retention(8)(A) The Council shall review materials on the commissioner's performance prior to the end of the commissioner's term of office and the Council shall vote on whether the commissioner is eligible to be retained for another term in accordance with rule 3-111.(8)(B) At the end of a commissioner's term, the judges of each district and court level the commissioner serves may vote not to retain the commissioner for another term of office. The decision not to retain is without cause and shall be by the concurrence of a majority of the judges in each district and court level the commissioner serves. A decision not to retain a commissioner under this paragraph shall be communicated to the commissioner within a reasonable time after the decision is made, and not less than 60 days prior to the end of the commissioner's term. (9)Salaries and benefits. (9)(A) The Council shall annually establish the salary of court commissioners. In determining the salary of the court commissioners, the Council shall consider the effect of any salary increase for judges authorized by the Legislature and other relevant factors. Except as provided in paragraph (6), the salary of a commissioner shall not be reduced during the commissioner's tenure.(9)(B) Court commissioners shall receive annual leave of 20 days per calendar year and the same sick leave benefits as judges of the courts of record. Annual leave not used at the end of the calendar year shall not accrue to the following year. A commissioner hired part way through the year shall receive annual leave on a prorated basis. Court commissioners shall receive the same retirement benefits as non-judicial officers employed in the judicial branch. (10)Support services. (10)(A) Court commissioners shall be provided with support personnel, equipment, and supplies necessary to carry out the duties of the office as determined by the presiding judge.(10)(B) Court commissioners are responsible for requesting necessary support services from the presiding judge.Utah Code Jud. Admin. 3-201
Amended effective 4/1/2011; 2/23/2015; 11/1/2015; amended January 9, 2018, effective 5/1/2018; amended December 22, 2020, effective 5/1/2021; amended January 25, 2024, effective 5/1/2024; amended May 20, 2024, effective 5/1/2024.