Utah Court Records: Difference between revisions

'''State district courts (1896 to present).''' In 1896, the state was divided into seven state court districts. Through the years, the district boundaries changed several times, and in 1988, eight districts were created. Branch offices for these courts are located in each county. State district courts have jurisdiction in all criminal felonies and civil actions. Domestic relations cases such as divorces, separations, child custody, adoptions, name changes, and will and estate settlements are also handled by these courts. Also, naturalizations are handled through the district courts.  

The Family History Library has some records for the district courts. These includes the minutes for Uintah County for both probate court and district court. These are poorly indexed and arranged only by dates. They are:  

Utah, District Court. (Uintah County). ''Minutes of the Probate Court and of the District Court, 1887-1915''. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966. (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=628438&disp=Minutes+of+the+Probate+Court+and+of+the+%20%20&columns=*,0,0 film 481111 item 3].) The minutes include a wide variety of information. Most of the entries deal with wills, estates, and custody. One example from the minutes is a decision giving permission for a child to go to the Deaf and Dumb School for children with disabilities.  

'''Justices of the peace (1896 to present)'''. There are two classes of justices of the peace in Utah: county justices who serve in county divisions called precincts, and municipal justices who serve in cities or towns. Justices of the peace may perform marriages and have jurisdiction in misdemeanors and civil cases of less than $1,000. Appeals are sent to the circuit courts.  

Justices of the peace maintain their own records. These may be kept at the county courthouse or the justice's home or office. By law, justices of the peace are required to give their records to their successors. An effective way to locate justice of the peace records is to contact the county clerk. The records of marriages performed by justices of the peace are in the county clerk's office.