Judge Janice Frost is a competent judge, most often described by both attorneys and court staff as intelligent and knowledgeable. Her survey scores, however, are lower than the average of other juvenile court judges in all five survey categories. This may have resulted from an overwhelming workload due to the sudden death of a judge in her district and two recent judicial retirements. Attorneys and court staff noted that Judge Frost’s calendar runs slowly and that her patience with staff and her consistency has suffered in the face of these circumstances. Her scores in most areas have declined since her midterm evaluation. Of the 57 attorneys and court staff who answered the retention question, 52 (91%) recommended that Judge Frost be retained. All courtroom observers were positive about Judge Frost, highlighting her thorough explanations of proceedings, the ample time she gives participants to explain their positions, and her compassionate yet firm demeanor.
The commission reviewed surveys and courtroom observation reports in addition to verifying that Judge Frost has met all time standards, judicial education requirements, and discipline standards established by the judicial branch.
Judge Janice L. Frost was appointed to the Second District Juvenile Court by Gov. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. in December 2008. Judge Frost graduated from the University of Utah College of Law in 1985. Before her appointment to the bench, she worked in private practice, served as an assistant city prosecutor for Salt Lake City, worked in both the criminal appeals and child protection divisions of the Attorney General’s Office, served as a senior attorney with the National District Attorneys Association and served as deputy city attorney for the City of South Salt Lake. She currently serves as chair of the Board of Juvenile Court Judges and is a member of the Utah Sentencing Commission.