Utah Supreme Court says no jury trials for traffic citations

The Utah Supreme Court is upholding several lower court decisions about whether a defendant can demand a jury trial for a traffic citation.

The court's recent decision agreed with previous rulings that a jury trial was not guaranteed for any offense with a punishment of fewer than 30 days in jail or that has only a minor fine.

The case was prompted after a driver was cited by the Utah Highway Patrol and then demanded a jury trial, calling it his constitutional right.