Herriman justice court personnel may be holding their heads a bit higher after being nominated for the Justice Court of the Year award by a staff member at the Utah Administrative Office of the Courts. Though the award went to Grand County, the nomination is an honor by itself and recognizes changes that the city has worked to enact over the past year. 

The Office of the Courts has also recognized Herriman’s court clerks for their 100% compliance with clerk certification program requirements implemented
in 2022. 

“Needless to say, I’m incredibly proud of this distinction and of the conscientious and hard work of our clerks,” Herriman Mayor Lorin Palmer said. “Their continued effort makes our court remarkable.”

Herriman’s court employs the Hon. Lisa A. Garner as its judge, court administrator Monica Medina and clerks Lynda White and Ashlie DeVaughn. Though the on-the-bench duties of judges are more prominent, they also review documents and motions, approve minutes and orders and attend training events. 

As the administrator, Medina manages all court functions. This includes scheduling, contracts and annual budgets. “Judicial assistants/clerks are the heart of the court,” she said. “They are the ones who greet court patrons, answer calls, assist during court sessions, and provide
information…”

 The court’s nomination was a direct result of staff efforts to improve resident experiences. For a significant period, Herriman lacked a permanent judge, which significantly affected how quickly cases were resolved. “There were also some outdated practices that were changed to operate like the other justice courts across the valley…,” Medina said. 

Accommodating its steep population increase has presented Herriman with challenges that other cities in Salt Lake Valley don’t necessarily face. To assist the non-English-speaking community, the city court has incorporated calendars in Spanish, and a few months ago, began offering online court appointments. 

The staff credits teamwork for their accomplishments. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success,” White said. “Together, we can do what none of us could do alone.”

Recently, the court received an email from a thankful defendant praising Garner for her kindness, patience and understanding. “…Please forward my utmost gratitude to Judge Garner…. It is a scary experience for a regular person like me… Thank you so much for holding that safe space. As a resident of Utah, I am extremely grateful to learn that we have such an amazing judge,” the email said. 

The court has also worked to earn its 100% clerk compliance score, a distinction bestowed upon only 8 courts out of 107 in Utah. The clerk certification program provides training on day-to-day responsibilities, office protocol, municipal law, government management, bookkeeping and auditing. 

Clerks must complete modules monthly and are encouraged to complete any previous modules released before their employment began. “This, however, is not mandatory,” Medina said. “But Herriman’s clerks have all gone back and completed all training issued by the AOC since 2022.” 

For the court to achieve compliance, every clerk must complete modules on time each month—in addition to their everyday responsibilities. Many modules take no more than 30 minutes and require only a brief quiz to demonstrate mastery, but others absorb up to two hours and demand a lengthy test that can only be passed with a score of 100%. 

The majority of courts struggle to carve out time for each clerk to complete the training regularly. 

“Working for the court is a balancing act,” Medina said. “We have to work together as a team to meet our internal standards and meet the requirements set by the city and the state while making it our highest priority to provide fair and efficient servic es to our community, the residents of Herriman.” 

DeVaughn agreed that teamwork was critical. “We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust and care for each other,” she said.

Garner expressed her appreciation for the clerks. “I am very proud of our judicial assistants and their commitment to excellence in their job,” she said. “The goals they have achieved are impressive and to the credit of our court management and the support they receive from the city.”   λ