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H.B. 178 Enrolled

             1     

JURISDICTION FOR PROSECUTION

             2     
2008 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Paul A. Neuenschwander

             5     
Senate Sponsor: Jon J. Greiner

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies the Judicial Code regarding the jurisdiction of justice courts.
             10      Highlighted Provisions:
             11          This bill:
             12          .    clarifies the territorial jurisdiction of justice courts, including situations such as:
             13              .    when the offense is committed in or on a vehicle, railroad car, or watercraft
             14      passing through the jurisdiction of the court;
             15              .    when the offense is committed on a body of water adjacent to the jurisdiction of
             16      the court;
             17              .    when an unlawful communication is sent or received within the jurisdiction; or
             18              .    when an element of an offense is committed within the jurisdiction.
             19      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             20          None
             21      Other Special Clauses:
             22          None
             23      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             24      AMENDS:
             25          78A-7-106, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 3
             26     
             27      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             28          Section 1. Section 78A-7-106 is amended to read:
             29           78A-7-106. Jurisdiction.


             30          (1) Justice courts have jurisdiction over class B and C misdemeanors, violation of
             31      ordinances, and infractions committed within their territorial jurisdiction, except those offenses
             32      over which the juvenile court has exclusive jurisdiction.
             33          (2) As used in this section, "the court's jurisdiction" means the territorial jurisdiction of
             34      a justice court.
             35          (3) An offense is committed within the territorial jurisdiction of a justice court if:
             36          (a) conduct constituting an element of the offense or a result constituting an element of
             37      the offense occurs within the court's jurisdiction, regardless of whether the conduct or result is
             38      itself unlawful;
             39          (b) either a person committing an offense or a victim of an offense is located within the
             40      court's jurisdiction at the time the offense is committed;
             41          (c) either a cause of injury occurs within the court's jurisdiction or the injury occurs
             42      within the court's jurisdiction;
             43          (d) a person commits any act constituting an element of an inchoate offense within the
             44      court's jurisdiction, including an agreement in a conspiracy;
             45          (e) a person solicits, aids, or abets, or attempts to solicit, aid, or abet another person in
             46      the planning or commission of an offense within the court's jurisdiction;
             47          (f) the investigation of the offense does not readily indicate in which court's jurisdiction
             48      the offense occurred, and:
             49          (i) the offense is committed upon or in any railroad car, vehicle, watercraft, or aircraft
             50      passing within the court's jurisdiction;
             51          (ii) (A) the offense is committed on or in any body of water bordering on or within this
             52      state if the territorial limits of the justice court are adjacent to the body of water; and
             53          (B) as used in Subsection (3)(f)(ii)(A), "body of water" includes any stream, river, lake,
             54      or reservoir, whether natural or man-made;
             55          (iii) a person who commits theft exercises control over the affected property within the
             56      court's jurisdiction; or
             57          (iv) the offense is committed on or near the boundary of the court's jurisdiction;


             58          (g) the offense consists of an unlawful communication that was initiated or received
             59      within the court's jurisdiction; or
             60          (h) jurisdiction is otherwise specifically provided by law.
             61          [(2)] (4) Justice courts have jurisdiction of small claims cases under Title 78A, Chapter
             62      8, Small Claims Courts, if [the] a defendant resides in or the debt arose within the territorial
             63      jurisdiction of the justice court.


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