Legally Speaking Utah Attorney General’s Office

Utah’s Children’s Justice Centers are in nearly every county in the state and are a safe place for abused children to talk about and provide evidence regarding what they’ve been through. These CJCs look like residential homes to provide a comfortable, secure environment for interviewing young victims of violent crime.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office oversees the state’s CJCs, designed as important “safe houses.” There, specially trained investigators help children talk about what they’ve been through as part of an ongoing investigation. What they say can be used in court.
It’s a compassionate way to deal with the dispassionate prosecution of a criminal case. In this special two-part Legally Speaking, we first speak to the CJC’s Deputy Director, Heather Stewart, who loves to educate people about it. In part two, we will hear from Matthew Janzen from the Davis County Attorney’s Office about the CJC's importance there.

Intense—immersive—realistic.

VirTra training can put you into dicey situations that result in lethal force, or not. The Utah Attorney General’s Office is proud to employ VIRTRA training. It is realistic training with situations police officers face daily, which are not easy.

It’s an exciting tool that uses giant screens, intense surround sound, and a real-but-disabled handgun. Different situations play out on the screens as the trainee, playing the part of a police officer, moves around and shouts commands—trying to diffuse what’s occurring without using their weapon.

Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Join us on this Legally Speaking episode as we dive deeper into VirTra training with Will Fowlke, the Training Center Director for the Investigations Division.

Poisoning a best friend and roommate. This podcast is a case study in the prosecution of a woman charged with poisoning her roommate in Millcreek, Utah.
In 2019, the Utah Attorney General’s office worked with federal authorities to convict Janie Lynn Ridd of abuse and possession of a biological agent. Charges state that Ridd purchased a Staphylococcus strain and gave it to her roommate over time. That roommate was supposed to be her best friend. 
It’s a case the Attorney General’s office worked on with the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Michael Gadd, who commented on the case for Legally Speaking.

In November 2023, Utah filed a lawsuit against insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo, Nordisk, and Sanofi, as well as pharmacy benefits managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum RX. The lawsuit claims that the companies charge too much for insulin due to their pricing scheme.
Since filing, consumers have contacted our office and shared personal stories of their sacrifices to afford this crucial medicine.
Mark Holliday from our office is the lead attorney on the case for the state. Legally Speaking welcomes him with an update and his perspective on the situation.

Whenever a meeting involves the public’s business—whether it’s a city council, the legislature or any branch of state or local government—that meeting is subject to the Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA).
These days, there are many meetings in our state, and controversial issues are often discussed. The Utah Attorney General's Office is one of the entities authorized to field concerns about open meetings and enforce OPMA. The job belongs to the Civil Review Committee, led by Assistant Attorney General Elliott Clark, who joins Legally Speaking to discuss how OPMA works.
OPMA in Utah Code
OPMA Brochure

Child abductions and missing children, when they happen, are devastating to a family, and in fact to entire communities. A kidnapped or missing child is often cited as a parent’s worst nightmare. Although they’re relatively rare, a fast response is essential. Fortunately, law enforcement has crafted a response with the Utah Child Abduction Response Team or CART.
In the Utah Attorney General’s Office, the person leading our participation in the Utah CART is Sara Lundquist, who joins Legally Speaking to talk more about it.