--- title: "Mark S. Kouris | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-s-kouris-senior-judge-utah-active-senior-judges-ut" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Mark S. Kouris Utah Active Senior Judges · Senior Judge ## Profile - Court: Utah Active Senior Judges - State: Utah - Role: Senior Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge Kouris was also active in the community, serving on the Advisory Board of the Salt Lake Family Justice Center since 2015 and teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Utah College of Law and Salt Lake Community College - Associate Presiding Judge — 2017–2019 and then Presiding Judge of the Third District from June 2019 until his retirement - He also worked for five years in the Utah Federal Defender’s Office ### Education - He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Utah, and later received his J.D. from the University of Utah in 1993 ### Additional information - Retired effective February 1, 2026, prompting the Third District Judicial Nominating Commission to select nominees for his replacement - On the bench, he operated a Felony Drug Court from 2006 to 2015 and served on the Board of District Court Judges from 2011 to 2017, including a term as chair - Judge Kouris was successfully retained in judicial elections, including the 2010 and 2016 retention votes, receiving 74.12% of the vote in 2016 - Appointed to the Third District Court, covering Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties, in April 2006 by Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr - Assistant Utah Attorney General before becoming a prosecutor, the Salt Lake County District Attorneys Office - After law school, Kouris held the role of an Assistant Utah Attorney General and then as a prosecutor for the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office - focusing on federal cases - Before his legal career, he worked in management at Procter & Gamble and founded a packaging and shipping company, which he later sold ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### electronic media coverage Scope: statewide Utah permits electronic media coverage of public proceedings under statewide UCJA procedures, including proceedings conducted by remote transmission. Evidence excerpt: This rule governs electronic media coverage of proceedings that are open to the public, including proceedings conducted by remote transmission. [UCJA Rule 4-401.01 Electronic media coverage of court proceedings](https://legacy.utcourts.gov/rules/view.php?type=ucja&rule=4-401.01) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### media request process Scope: statewide Utah requires requests for electronic media coverage to be made through the court's public information office. Evidence excerpt: All requests to provide electronic media coverage shall be made to the court’s public information office. [UCJA Rule 4-401.01 Electronic media coverage of court proceedings](https://legacy.utcourts.gov/rules/view.php?type=ucja&rule=4-401.01) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### portable electronic devices Scope: statewide Utah permits possession and use of portable electronic devices in courthouses unless limited by UCJA Rule 4-401.02 or by directive of the judge. Evidence excerpt: A person may possess and use a portable electronic device anywhere in a courthouse, except as limited by this rule or directive of the judge. [UCJA Rule 4-401.02 Possession and use of portable electronic devices](https://legacy.utcourts.gov/rules/view.php?type=ucja&rule=4-401.02) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording photography transmission Scope: statewide Utah prohibits recording, photographing, or transmitting images or sound of court proceedings with portable electronic devices unless allowed under the electronic-media rule or another stated exception. Evidence excerpt: A person may not use a portable electronic device to record, photograph, or transmit images or sound of court proceedings, except in accordance with rule 4-401.01 or subsection (2)(D) above. [UCJA Rule 4-401.02 Possession and use of portable electronic devices](https://legacy.utcourts.gov/rules/view.php?type=ucja&rule=4-401.02) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.utcourts.gov/en/courts/other-court-info/judges-bios/senior-Judges/district-court-senior-judges/mark-s-kouris.html) - [Official roster](https://www.utcourts.gov/en/courts/other-court-info/judges-bios/senior-Judges/district-court-senior-judges/mark-s-kouris.html) - [Utah State Courts official judicial roster](https://www.utcourts.gov/en/courts/other-court-info/judges-bios/senior-Judges/district-court-senior-judges/mark-s-kouris.html) - [UCJA Rule 4-401.01 Electronic media coverage of court proceedings](https://legacy.utcourts.gov/rules/view.php?type=ucja&rule=4-401.01) - [UCJA Rule 4-401.02 Possession and use of portable electronic devices](https://legacy.utcourts.gov/rules/view.php?type=ucja&rule=4-401.02) - [JUDGE MARK S. KOURIS](https://www.utcourts.gov/en/courts/other-court-info/judges-bios/senior-Judges/district-court-senior-judges/mark-s-kouris.html) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-s-kouris-senior-judge-utah-active-senior-judges-ut", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-s-kouris-senior-judge-utah-active-senior-judges-ut", "name": "Mark S. Kouris | KnowJudges", "description": "Mark S. Kouris, Utah Active Senior Judges. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-s-kouris-senior-judge-utah-active-senior-judges-ut#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-s-kouris-senior-judge-utah-active-senior-judges-ut#judge", "name": "Mark S. 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