Newton v. State
Newton v. State, 2025 UT 50 (Durrant, C.J.)
Criminal
The Utah Supreme Court held:
- The postconviction court correctly granted the State’s motion for summary judgment.
- The PCRA and Utah Rules of Civil Procedure prohibited Defendant from filing a combined response and motion in a single document in response to the State’s motion for summary judgment.
- Practice tip: Nothing in the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure or the PCRA preclude a petitioner from filing a motion for summary judgment in postconviction proceedings.
- Judicial tip: At the summary judgment stage, any credibility determination by the court about a witness is inappropriate because a court is required to view the facts and all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.