Agency: Courts Function The Utah State Courts constitute the judicial branch of government. Its mission is to provide the people of Utah with an open, fair, efficient, and independent system for the advancement of justice under the law. The Utah State Constitution establishes governance of the judicial branch and authorizes the Judicial Council to oversee this branch of government. The Judicial Council is made up of selected Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Juvenile Courts, and District Court judges with the Supreme Court Chief Justice presiding.
The Utah Court System consists of the Utah Supreme Court, Utah Court of Appeals, District Courts (trial courts of general jurisdiction), and Juvenile Courts. Each of these court systems is state funded and operated. The Judicial Council also provides oversight for the locally-funded and operated Justice Court System. Justice Courts receive some administrative support from the state and must operate in accordance with state standards and rules. The majority of the programs within the judiciary are in a single line item titled Court Administration. The Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Courts (trial courts), and Juvenile Courts are accounted for in this line item. Statutory Authority The Utah State Judiciary is governed by : (1) the Utah State Constitution, Article VIII and (2) the Judicial Code, UCA Titles 75 through 78. Funding Detail The budget for the state court system is primarily State General Fund. A significant amount of revenue is generated by court fees, which are deposited in the General Fund. These court fees must be appropriated from the General Fund to the Courts by the Legislature. Sources of Finance | 2008 Actual | 2009 Actual | 2010 Actual | 2011 Actual | 2012 Approp | General Fund | $112,398,400 | $104,415,900 | $107,723,700 | $107,594,100 | $105,285,300 | General Fund, One-time | $745,300 | $4,347,200 | ($1,964,400) | $42,500 | $200,000 | Federal Funds | $273,400 | $624,900 | $490,200 | $227,900 | $326,700 | Dedicated Credits Revenue | $1,866,700 | $2,257,800 | $4,040,500 | $2,129,200 | $3,266,100 | GFR - Dispute Resolution | $310,700 | $317,500 | $590,000 | $415,300 | $414,300 | GFR - Children's Legal Defense | $667,500 | $810,600 | $1,010,800 | $812,800 | $810,600 | GFR - Court Reporter Technology | $0 | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | GFR - Court Security Account | $4,756,400 | $5,106,400 | $7,556,400 | $7,556,400 | $7,556,400 | GFR - Court Trust Interest | $250,000 | $775,000 | $775,000 | $795,000 | $795,000 | GFR - DNA Specimen | $244,200 | $252,800 | $252,800 | $250,300 | $249,200 | GFR - Guardian Ad Litem Services | $355,300 | $360,900 | $355,700 | $515,300 | $364,400 | GFR - Justice Court Tech, Sec,& Training | $899,400 | $1,299,300 | $1,299,300 | $1,105,700 | $1,105,000 | GFR - Non-Judicial Assessment | $721,700 | $1,445,300 | $1,154,100 | $936,200 | $932,100 | GFR - Online Court Assistance | $74,400 | $75,000 | $251,000 | $201,000 | $251,000 | GFR - State Court Complex | $4,700,000 | $4,700,000 | $4,700,000 | $4,700,000 | $4,700,000 | GFR - Substance Abuse Prevention | $447,700 | $502,400 | $502,400 | $513,500 | $512,700 | GFR - Tobacco Settlement | $193,700 | $193,700 | $352,800 | $352,800 | $352,800 | GFR - Transcriptions | $250,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Transfers | $0 | $152,000 | $1,325,300 | $141,100 | $0 | Transfers - Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice | $551,900 | $554,700 | $903,500 | $729,500 | $576,500 | Transfers - Human Services | $89,100 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Transfers - Other Agencies | $658,300 | $0 | ($2,046,200) | $413,000 | $278,000 | Transfers - Public Safety | $28,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Transfers - Youth Corrections | $0 | $147,900 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Beginning Nonlapsing | $961,800 | $1,684,700 | $1,088,600 | $2,224,200 | $0 | Closing Nonlapsing | ($1,628,800) | ($1,088,700) | ($2,224,200) | ($1,805,300) | $600,000 | Lapsing Balance | ($1,500,900) | ($1,482,600) | ($3,167,500) | ($1,305,300) | $0 | Total | $128,314,200 | $127,702,700 | $125,219,800 | $128,795,200 | $128,826,100 |
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  | Line Items | 2008 Actual | 2009 Actual | 2010 Actual | 2011 Actual | 2012 Approp | Administration | $99,357,700 | $98,579,300 | $97,691,900 | $100,437,300 | $100,929,800 | Grand Jury | $800 | $800 | $800 | $500 | $800 | Contracts and Leases | $21,734,500 | $21,400,500 | $19,357,500 | $19,952,900 | $19,828,800 | Jury and Witness Fees | $1,897,800 | $1,981,500 | $2,131,300 | $2,089,900 | $2,146,400 | Guardian ad Litem | $5,323,400 | $5,740,600 | $6,038,300 | $6,314,600 | $5,920,300 | Total | $128,314,200 | $127,702,700 | $125,219,800 | $128,795,200 | $128,826,100 |
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  | Categories of Expenditure | 2008 Actual | 2009 Actual | 2010 Actual | 2011 Actual | 2012 Approp | Personnel Services | $86,625,700 | $89,544,300 | $88,802,100 | $89,798,000 | $86,153,400 | In-state Travel | $457,100 | $339,600 | $285,000 | $361,900 | $421,700 | Out-of-state Travel | $239,900 | $187,500 | $109,400 | $83,800 | $200,200 | Current Expense | $33,799,300 | $33,400,700 | $31,246,600 | $33,112,200 | $38,008,300 | DP Current Expense | $2,678,100 | $1,708,900 | $2,107,200 | $2,342,600 | $1,097,900 | DP Capital Outlay | $729,800 | $30,500 | $431,400 | $234,900 | $288,400 | Capital Outlay | $257,700 | $158,100 | $12,600 | $124,700 | $7,000 | Other Charges/Pass Thru | $3,526,600 | $2,285,800 | $2,225,500 | $2,737,100 | $2,649,200 | Cost of Goods Sold | $0 | $600 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Transfers | $0 | $46,700 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Total | $128,314,200 | $127,702,700 | $125,219,800 | $128,795,200 | $128,826,100 |
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  | Other Indicators | 2008 Actual | 2009 Actual | 2010 Actual | 2011 Actual | 2012 Approp | Budgeted FTE | 1,248.0 | 1,221.0 | 1,214.0 | 1,086.6 | 1,188.9 | Actual FTE | 1,103.9 | 1,083.6 | 1,057.7 | 1,029.4 | 0.0 | Vehicles | 158 | 154 | 147 | 144 | 154 |
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| Subcommittee Table of Contents |