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Judges' Biographies
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PRESIDING JUDGE VIRGINIA WARD |  | Judge Virginia Ward was appointed to the Salt Lake City Justice Court in July 2002 by Salt Lake City Mayor Ross C. Anderson. At the time of her appointment, Judge Ward was director of the Office of Administrative Hearings, Utah Department of Human Services, and served as an Administrative Law Judge for that office. Previously, she served as a senior assistant Salt Lake City prosecutor from 1994 to 2000. Judge Ward received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Utah in 1993, and earned an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Utah in 1989. Judge Ward manages Salt Lake City Justice Court’s Focus Program, involving repeat DUI offenders, and she has given past service in various committee positions for the court system. Currently, Judge Ward is the Presiding Judge in the Salt Lake City Justice Court, and is chair of the Board of Directors for the Utah Law-Related Education Project.
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JUDGE CLINTON E. BALMFORTH |  | Judge Clinton E. Balmforth was appointed as the South Jordan Justice Court judge in January of 1998 and also as the Alta Justice Court judge in November of 2002. He received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Utah Law School in 1968 and is a current member of the Utah State Bar. Judge Balmforth has worked as a Prosecuting Attorney for Salt Lake City, Deputy County Attorney for Salt Lake County and as the City Attorney for South Salt Lake. Prior to his judicial appointments, Judge Balmforth worked as the part-time prosecuting attorney for the City of South Jordan. He also served as an instructor for Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training. In 2005 he was recognized and received an award from the South Jordan Chamber of Commerce for exemplary service and commitment to the community. 4/10 |
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JUDGE HOLLY BARRINGHAM |  | Judge Holly Magi Barringham has served the Salt Lake City Justice Court since October 2005 and the Salt Lake County Justice Court since January 2006. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Loma Linda University in California and a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law. Judge Barringham was an assistant Salt Lake City prosecutor from January 2003 until her appointment to the Justice Court in September 2005. Previously, she served as a school board member for a local private school. Judge Barringham presides over Salt Lake County’s first offender and misdemeanor drug courts and currently serves on the court’s Jury Subcommittee. 10/08
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JUDGE JOHN BAXTER |  | Judge John Baxter was appointed to the Salt Lake City Justice Court in 2002 where he serves as the domestic violence court and drug court judge. Judge Baxter created and presides over the Salt Lake City Justice Court Homeless Outreach Project, the Homeless Court. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Utah in 1990 and a law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1994. He is a member of the Utah State Bar and the State Bar of California. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Baxter worked for the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association. Judge Baxter has served as a member of the Utah Supreme Court’s Committee on Privacy and Public Access to Court Records, and currently serves on the Advisory Committee on Professionalism, the Standing Committee on Judicial Outreach, the Salt Lake County Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC), and the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) Mental Health Initiative. Judge Baxter is the recipient of the Utah Judicial Council’s 2005 Quality of Justice Award and his court was the 2004 recipient of the Salt Lake Area Domestic Violence Council Peace on Earth Award. He served for several years as a volunteer attorney at the Sunday morning homeless breakfast in Salt Lake City and served in the United State Marine Corps. 4/10 |
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JUDGE DANIEL F. BERTCH |  | Judge Daniel F. Bertch has served as the Draper City Justice Court Judge since 1992. He has been a practicing attorney since 1984, currently with Kevin K. Robson in the firm of Bertch Robson. Judge Bertch graduated from B.Y.U. Law School in 1984, cum laude, and was awarded the Order of the Coif. He currently serves on the Uniform Fine and Bail Committee. |
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JUDGE GREGORY L. BOWN |  | Judge Gregory L. Bown was appointed to the Riverton City Justice Court in October 2007. He earned a Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Utah Law School in 1971 and was admitted to practice law in Utah that same year. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Bown practiced law for 31 years as Deputy District Attorney for the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. He was a felony prosecutor with an emphasis on white collar crime before retiring from the office in 2005. Judge Bown then began working part time prosecuting misdemeanors for Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, Herriman, Holladay, Riverton, and Taylorsville. Judge Bown represents Third District Justice Court judges as education director. 4/10
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JUDGE DAROLD BUTCHER |  | Judge Darold “Dar” M. Butcher has served the Grantsville City Justice Court since February 2009. Judge Butcher earned a bachelor degree in Psychology from Utah State University and an associates degree in Instrumentation from Salt Lake Community College. He has been a Licensed Social Service Worker since 1999. Judge Butcher served for four years in the Navy and 11 years in the Army as an Air Flight Combat Medic. He has also worked as a production controller for the Tooele Army Depot and as a juvenile probation officer for the Third District Juvenile Court. Judge Butcher served as a Grantsville City councilman, on the Legislative Advisory Committee, the Salt Lake City Urban Development Board, Tooele County Sheriff’s Advisory Committee, and the Tooele County Hospital Board. In addition, he served three terms as president of Mosquito Abatement, two terms as chair of the Division of Children Family Services Citizen Review Board, and two terms as chair of the Local Interagency Committee. 04/10 |
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JUDGE L.G. CUTLER |  | Judge L.G. Cutler has served the Salt Lake City Justice Court since 2004. He earned a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Utah in 1975 and a J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law in 1979. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Cutler served as staff attorney with Utah Legal Services and provided legal representation to indigent children, parents, and families in Juvenile Court. As a sole practitioner, his work focused on domestic law, guardian ad litem representation of children, and criminal defense. Judge Cutler also contracted with Salt Lake County communities to provide prosecution services for more than 20 years. 4/10
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JUDGE DANIEL B. GIBBONS |  | Judge Daniel Bay Gibbons was sworn in as a Justice Court Judge on July 1, 2001. He currently presides over a combined full-time court serving the cities of Holladay and Cottonwood Heights. Judge Gibbons graduated with honors from the University of Utah in 1983, and in 1986 received a Juris Doctor degree from the Willamette University College of Law, where he was a staff editor for the Willamette Law Review. After clerking part-time during law school for the Oregon Department of Revenue and the Utah Attorney General’s Office, he joined the Salt Lake City firm of Kirton & McConkie, where he worked for nine years as an associate and later as a shareholder. In 1995 Judge Gibbons went into solo law practice, where he focused upon civil trial work. As an attorney, Judge Gibbons was a frequent presenter of legal seminars, and from 1991 to 1996 he was featured weekly on a Salt Lake City radio talk show addressing legal topics. He is admitted to practice before the Utah Supreme Court, the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. On the bench, Judge Gibbons created both a drug court and a domestic violence court which have operated with great success since 2001. In 2007 Judge Gibbons traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he lectured on U.S. jury trial procedures to Ukrainian law students. |
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JUDGE SHAUNA GRAVES-ROBERTSON |  | Judge Shauna Graves-Robertson was appointed to the Salt Lake County Justice Court by the Salt Lake County Commission in January 1999. Judge Graves-Robertson is a Salt Lake City native and a graduate of West High School. She graduated from Arizona State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Judge Graves-Robertson received a Masters in Public Administration in 1987 and a law degree from the University of Utah in 1990. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Graves-Robertson worked for the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association. She graduated from the National Judicial College with a certificate in judicial studies. Judge Graves-Robertson is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a member of the National Association of Women Judges, Women Lawyers of Utah, Minority Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Diversity. Judge Graves-Robertson is currently the presiding judge in Salt Lake County. 4/10
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JUDGE CATHERINE M. JOHNSON |  | Judge Catherine Johnson was appointed a Justice Court Judge for the City of South Salt Lake in 2001. She graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in communication, with minors in philosophy and anthropology. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah College Of Law in 1991. As a law student, she was a member of the Utah Law Review and served a judicial externship with the Utah Supreme Court. After receiving he law degree, Judge Johnson practiced law with the Utah Department of Commerce and later represented the State of Utah in the Criminal Appeals Division of the Utah Attorney General’s Office. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she was employed as a staff attorney for the Utah Court of Appeals. |
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JUDGE RONALD E. KUNZ |  | Judge Ronald E. Kunz was appointed as the West Jordan City Justice Court Judge in April 1990. As a resident of West Jordan, he has been actively involved in various civic and community service organizations, including serving as a trustee for the Utah Boys Ranch. Judge Kunz earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Utah College of Law in 1979. Prior to his judicial appointment, he worked as a general law practitioner for 11 years handling a wide variety of cases before various levels of state and federal courts. Judge Kunz served as a contract legal defender for the Third Circuit Court and the City of West Jordan. He also served as the attorney for the towns of Woodruff and Kamas during the early years of his practice. Judge Kunz has served on two different Judicial Council Committees to help improve the state’s trial by jury system. Under his direction, the West Jordan Justice Court has proactively implemented domestic violence programs that have resulted with Judge Kunz receiving the 2006 “Freedom Award” from the Salt Lake Area Domestic Violence Coalition and being named the 2008 “Advocate of the Year” by the Utah Domestic Violence Council. 4/10 |
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JUDGE MICHAEL KWAN |  | Judge Michael Kwan has served the Taylorsville Justice Court since 1998. Judge Kwan received a law degree from Whittier College School of Law and was certified in Chinese law by the East China University of Politics and Law in 1993. Judge Kwan served as pro tempore judge in Third District Court from 1996 through 1998. He received the Quality of Justice Award in 2001. His Domestic Violence Program was awarded the Peace on Earth Award from the Salt Lake Area Domestic Violence Advisory Council in 2002. He started one of the first DUI/Drug Courts in the nation in 1998. This program received the Governor’s Award for reducing drug and alcohol abuse and related crimes in 2008. He is currently serving on the Utah Substance Abuse and Anti-Violence Council and previously served on the Utah Rules of Evidence Committee. Judge Kwan was editor of the National Conference of Special Court Judges journal, was chair of the Board of Justice Court Judges, and served on the Utah Judicial Council. Judge Kwan has taught judicial education courses across the country for the Utah Judicial Institute, ABA, and National Drug Court Institute focusing on traffic, evidence, Constitutional law, and criminal procedure and law. 4/10
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JUDGE SYDNEY MAGID |  | Judge Sydney Magid was appointed to the Salt Lake City Justice Court in 2004. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1990 and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah College of Law in 1993 where she was a William H. Leary Scholar. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she worked as an attorney in private practice. She currently serves on the Justice Court Judges Education Curriculum Subcommittee. |
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JUDGE BRENDAN P. MCCULLAGH |  | Judge Brendan P. McCullagh was appointed to the West Valley City Justice Court in July 2002. He previously served six years as the Deputy District Attorney for Salt Lake County. Judge McCullagh received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Utah College of Law in 1995. Judge McCullagh served three years on the Board of Justice Court Judges. He has served on the Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence and the Judicial Council’s Standing Committee on Interpreters. Judge McCullagh currently serves on the Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committees on the Criminal Rules of Procedure and Criminal Jury Instructions. In 2007, he was elected by his peers to serve a three-year term on the Judicial Council. Also in 2007, Judge McCullagh received the Utah Judicial Council’s Quality of Justice award for performance of judicial responsibilities with outstanding dedication to the highest quality of justice. In 2008, Judge McCullagh was awarded the Scott M. Matheson Award by the Utah State Bar for outstanding service to law-related education. 1/09
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JUDGE REED S. PARKIN |  | Judge Reed S. Parkin serves the Bluffdale, Heber City, and Herriman justice courts. He was first appointed to the bench in April 2005. Judge Parkin has a master of business administration degree and has extensive experience in government and business. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Phoenix where he teaches criminal justice. He is a member of the Board of Justice Court Judges. 4/10
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JUDGE RONALD E. POWELL |  | Judge Ronald E. Powell was appointed to the Stockton Justice Court in 2004. Judge Powell served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the United State Navy. He has nine years of law enforcement experience in the State of California, where he studied the administration of justice. After retiring as a supervisor from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power, Judge Powell moved to Utah. Judge Powell earned a certificate in legal studies from the Legal Institute for Justice Court Judges. 4/10 |
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JUDGE JEANNE ROBISON |  | Judge Jeanne Robison has served the Salt Lake City Justice Court since 2005. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Robison worked as an assistant city prosecutor for Salt Lake City from 1995 through 2005. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law in 1994. Judge Robison has been an adjunct professor for the University of Utah and University of Phoenix. She has served as a member of the Utah State Bar’s Needs of Children Committee and the Board of Directors of the Multi-Cultural Legal Center. Judge Robison currently serves as chair of the Justice Court Education Curriculum Subcommittee. She also presides over cases referred to Passages, which is a collaborative restorative justice program. 4/10
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JUDGE DONALD SAWAYA |  | Judge Donald Sawaya was appointed to the Sandy City Justice Court in October, 1997. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and its College of Law. He is a member of the Utah State Bar and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was previously Chief Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney. He has attended the National Judicial College and served on the Board of Justice Court Judges. Prior public Service includes a term as a trustee of the Salt Lake County Service Area #2 - Cottonwood Heights which provides advanced recreational facilities to that community and also on the Board of Directors of the Utah Peace Officers Association as Judge Advocate. |
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JUDGE KEITH STONEY |  | Judge Stoney was appointed to the West Valley City Justice Court July 2001. He currently serves as presiding judge. Judge Stoney has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interpersonal Communication from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law. Prior to taking the bench, he was an Administrative Law Judge. Judge Stoney was the Chief Prosecutor for West Valley City for 17 years and managed a private law practice. He has taught at Brigham Young University and at the J. Reuben Clark School of Law as an adjunct professor. He has been an instructor for Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Department of Corrections, and Western Community Policing Center. In 1983, under his direction, West Valley City established the first coordinated domestic violence program in Utah. Judge Stoney has served as the chairman of the Justice Court Curriculum Subcommittee and currently is a Justice Court judge mentor and serves as a Justice Court representative on the Utah Judicial Council. 2/10
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JUDGE MARSHA C. THOMAS |  | Judge Marsha C. Thomas serves the City of Taylorsville Municipal Justice Court. She earned a law degree from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. After graduating from law school, Judge Thomas worked as a reference librarian at the S.J. Quinney Law Library where she assisted the public in accessing legal information and taught legal research to law students. She then opened a solo practice and later was founding partner of Thomas Tax & Law, Inc. Judge Thomas currently serves as the chair of the Utah Justice Court Education Committee and as a member of the Utah Judicial Council Standing Committee for Judicial Branch Education. Judge Thomas received the 2000 Amicus Curiae Award and in 2010 the Justice Court Service Award from the Board of Justice Court Judges. 4/10
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JUDGE PAUL THOMPSON |  | Judge Paul Thompson was appointed to the Murray City Justice Court in 2008. He has served as an active or senior judge since 1992. Judge Thompson received a degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 1976. He served as the mayor of Sandy City from 1978 to 1982, and is a former city attorney for South Salt Lake, Alta, and South Jordan. Judge Thompson is a former chairman of the Salt Lake County Council of Governments, member of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, and trustee of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. He was the founding chairman of the Third Judicial District Victim’s Rights Committee. Judge Thompson has been a member of the Utah State Bar since 1976. 4/10
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JUDGE SUSAN WEIDAUER |  | Judge Susan Weidauer was appointed to serve the Sandy Justice Court at its inception in 1991. She studied at LDS Business College, University of Utah, Westminster College and POST and was employed 20 years with various law firms and the Sandy City Attorneys Office prior to her appointment to the bench. Her studies have continued with the National Judicial College, the National Judges Association and is a graduate of the AOC Legal Institute. Judge Weidauer has served on the Justice Court Board and is active in community service. |
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RONALD C. WOLTHUIS |  | Judge Wolthuis was appointed to the Midvale City Justice Court in March, 2008. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from Weber State College in June, 1978, with departmental honors in Zoology. Judge Wolthuis received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah College of Law in June, 1985. During law school, he was an editor on the Journal of Contemporary Law and the Journal of Energy Law & Policy. Judge Wolthuis was admitted to the Utah State Bar in 1985 and practiced law until his appointment to the bench in 2008. Judge Wolthuis served as the West Jordan City Prosecutor for nine years and as the South Jordan City Prosecutor for three years. Judge Wolthuis has lectured for the Utah Department of Corrections, Utah State Bar Association, various police agencies and community groups. 4/10 |
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